Naruto: Iron Path
by Hiyuusha
Summary: The night it was sealed, Kyuubi gave Naruto a Kekkei Genkai to protect him. Raised in a land foreign to Konoha on the Sandaime's orders so he may better master his ability, how will Naruto fare when he is called back to become the shinobi he was meant to be?
1. Uzumaki Naruto Takes The Scene!

**A Revised and Revamped Edition of Naruto: Iron.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Please support the official release.**

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**Chapter One**

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**Uzumaki Naruto Takes The Scene!**

Uzumaki Naruto was nervous. Who wouldn't be? It was only two days earlier that he had received the news from the Clan Head.

"_Naruto, my dear, dear boy. It's been some time since you were sent here from the Land of Fire!" the elderly voice of the Clan Head called from his illuminated desk, "You have spent your time here well, and have even come to be seen as family amongst your peers. But come Friday, you will be returning to your birthplace, to finally take your place upon the Shinobi of Konoha! Be proud boy!"_

Naruto shuddered. He was currently standing outside his assigned room, awaiting further introduction by his Chunin Instructor, Umino Iruka. Personally, the boy didn't understand why it was _now_ that he was being inducted into the class. There were only several days left until the Genin Exams, and while he was certain that he would be able to pass, it didn't explain why he was forced into attending two or three classes filled with information he'd already learned. Of course, his nervousness had a large factor in his current thoughts, a lousy attempt to turn his fear into something else. But far too often did his thoughts drift back to the predicament at hand.

"_What if they don't like me?"_ he thought, _"What if they make fun of me?"_

As he continued to think pessimistic thoughts, Umino Iruka emerged from the door, wearing his typical kind smile that he always used to make the Genin hopefuls feel at ease, "We're ready for you Uzumaki-san, whenever you're ready."

Naruto's breath hitched. It was that time already? What the hell was he going to do? Glancing up at Iruka he nodded slowly, before following the older man into the room.

As he caught his first glimpse of what would be his three-day classmates, Naruto could immediately label everyone into their assumed clique.

"_It looks like the popular ones are in the middle, surrounding the angst driven powerhouse. By the looks of it he doesn't care for all the attention."_ Naruto thought, turning his head away from the numerous blondes and the lone girl with pink hair. He quickly noticed the slackers lazing away in the back, noting many of them seemed to be asleep, or were at least pretending to be. And finally, the smart, class-loving students were seated up front, pens and paper out in front of them as they waited patiently for the boy's introduction to conclude.

"Ahem," Iruka coughed inconspicuously, drawing everyone's attention, "Uzumaki-san, would you like to introduce yourself?"

Naruto flushed. In his labeling everyone he had forgotten the entire reason he was there to begin with! Coughing several times trying (and failing) to regain his composure, he turned to the class.

"Ah, hi there! I guess I'll start by telling you my name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like uh… I like sleeping I guess." He quickly noticed his mistake and turned to Iruka, "Not that I'll be sleeping in class or anything! I'm definitely good at studying and everything as well… um…" he trailed off, noticing several students beginning to snicker, still, Iruka continued to urge the boy on with that smile of his. "My favorite food is… uh… what was it…? Oh! I really like Ramen!" he remembered, earning another round of snickers from the group. "Ah… I don't really have any long term goals at the moment," Naruto explained, "I guess I'll just do my best as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf and make the Clan proud!"

Iruka clapped for the boy, prompting a few of the better students to follow suit, slowing his applause after several seconds, he glanced around the classroom. "Now then, before we get started does anyone have any other questions for Uzumaki-san?"

"I do!" a pink-haired kunoichi Naruto remembered labeling as popular called out, "Uzumaki-san, I noticed you said you wanted to make your Clan proud, but I've never heard of the Uzumaki Clan before."

Naruto had opened his mouth to answer but once again Iruka jumped in, "Ah, Haruno-san, Naruto-san isn't referring to the Uzumaki Clan," _"Which we really should tell our students about," _"but rather a relatively unknown Clan where he spent much of his time growing up. It's no surprise you haven't heard of it, especially since it's currently located in a region we haven't really gone over in the Academy. You see Sakura; this particular Clan is located in the Land of Iron."

There were a few murmurs in the class.

"Land of Iron?" Sakura asked curiously.

It was then that Naruto reaffirmed his presence, "You can also call it the Land of Samurai if you'd like. It is one of the few places you'll still find them after all. Of course, they aren't anything like the old fairytales. Spectacularly dressed warriors carrying nothing but their blades… not anymore. These samurai are more like soldiers, dressed and armed for war. That's probably the main reason why it's managed to remain neutral for so long. No one wants to deal with them. Then again, that might be because lots of them can be real stingy if you so much as look at them the wrong way-" Naruto stopped once he realized he had all the class's eyes on him. "Ehehehehe… I studied the geography of my region a lot." He explained, gaining a few nods from the class. It wasn't unusual for one to want to know about where they were vacationing after all.

Iruka clapped his hands together, "Well then, I think that's enough for introductions. If you would Naruto, there's a seat in the back over by Hinata."

Despite being caught off guard by Iruka's sudden use of his first name, Naruto nodded, making his way to the back of the class towards the pale looking girl trembling in her seat.

"Hi there…" Naruto greeting quietly, "I hope we get along well."

The girl glanced over at him with wide eyes, almost as if she was in shock. Shakily nodding her head in agreement, she quickly turned her attention back to the front where Iruka was.

"_Guess she's just as nervous about meeting new people as I am, if not more so. Still, everything's been surprisingly alright so far. At the very least,"_ Naruto glanced around the room quickly, _"It doesn't look like anyone was too upset about my entrance. Maybe this coming back to Konoha thing won't be as bad as I thought after all!"_ Naruto thought to himself before paying attention to the class.

Luckily for Naruto, the class hadn't gone on much longer. Most of the material was just review, and Naruto was eager to let his first day come to an end.

What he hadn't counted on was Kiba Inuzuka. The young Genin-to-be belonged to the dog-training Inuzuka Clan. A ferocious Clan that was powerful in their own right, the Inuzuka specialized in loyalty and hunting above all. The elders were strict when it came to the former, and they ensured every pup had the same values instilled into them at a young age. Kiba too, carried the values of the Inuzuka Clan, even if he took them to certain… extremes at times.

"Hey! Uzumaki!" the rowdy boy called out, drawing the attention of many leaving students, "I saw the way you were eyeing me earlier! Don't think I'll let you get away with acting all high and mighty just because you're new here! I don't care if you're from some fancy Samurai Village, I'll still kick your ass!"

His dog whined, pulling itself within the folds of Kiba's jacket as the boy took several steps forward. Naruto blinked in confusion, still trying to get an idea of just what was going on when he saw the crowd form around them. "Ah, you're… Inuzuka-san right? Is there a problem?" Naruto asked obliviously.

"Don't take that tone with me!" the boy growled, mistaking Naruto's confusion for a snide remark, "I already told you! I'm gonna kick your ass for the way you were glaring at all the class!"

With nothing left to say, the boy let Akamaru leap out from his jacket, allowing the ninja-pup to stand on the sidelines as he chased down his would-be opponent.

"W-Wait a second, what'd I do?!" Naruto shouted, reeling back in surprise while waving his hands to calm Kiba down, "I only just got here!"

Kiba growled, descending on the boy with his sharpened claws reared back and ready to strike. In an instant he ripped across Naruto's forearm that he'd raised to defend himself, tearing through the sleeve of the shirt the blonde wore.

Naruto winced, swerving away from the raging Inuzuka as he looked at his options. With the crowd surrounding him as they were, he doubted he'd be able to make a clean getaway. Bending down to one knee he ripped the rest of the sleeve off, glancing at the small gashes Kiba had slashed down his arm.

"Ah… and I had just gotten this shirt…!" Naruto mourned, setting the torn sleeve to the side as he gazed up at Kiba. He'd tried hard not to get into any trouble on his first day, but then this guy just had to show up and ruin it.

"Inuzuka-san, you said you're not going to lighten up until you've "kicked my ass", right?" Naruto confirmed, earning an angry nod from Kiba. "That's unfortunate. Sorry, but I won't be able to allow that to happen. I mean, I'm not really fond of being beaten up, if you know what I mean." Naruto laughed, scratching the back of his head. "And, if you attack me again, I might have to retaliate, you know?"

"Heh _retaliate_, is it? Bring it on! I'll rip that look off your ugly mug!" Kiba snarled, racing forward once more as he aimed to scratch Naruto yet again.

Naruto swiveled around, drifting past Kiba with ease. He slammed his feet into the ground, stabilizing himself as he glanced back at the Inuzuka. "Really, do you really want to do this? I really don't want to get in a fight on my first day here…."

"Wha?" Kiba asked, turning his head around to look at the boy. "So you were able to dodge it huh? Guess that means you've got a few skills after all."

Much of the crowd sighed and shook their heads in disappointment. Really, Kiba was acting like Naruto had dodged some impossible technique or something. Just about everyone in the class would have been able to dodge such a reckless head-on charge, even if it was from someone as quick as the Inuzuka. Amidst the chaos, Naruto subtly made three handseals.

Kiba grinned, oblivious to the many gazes of his peers as he readied a charge at Naruto once more. "Still it won't change anything!"

"Kiba no!" the pale girl from earlier shouted, her eyes wide as she watched Kiba leap towards Naruto.

It was too late. The Inuzuka's eyes widened as he felt Naruto's fist dig itself deep into his abdomen, knocking him for a loop. His eyes blanked out, and he gasped, spewing blood across the academy grounds before crumpling at Uzumaki Naruto's feet.

The boy gaped, pulling back his fist and looking down towards Kiba. "Ah! I overdid it! He's not dead is he?!" Naruto asked, starting to panic when he realized that Kiba wasn't getting up, "No way! I can't be charged with murder on my first day here!"

"G-Gah…! W-What the hell?!" the Inuzuka grunted, gripping his body in pain as he rolled over, "T-There's no way someone c-can punch that hard!"

"Oh! He's alive!" Naruto grinned, earning a sweatdrop from much of the class. Realizing that some of them were still waiting on an explanation, he amused them. "Oh, none of you were paying attention then? You see, what just happened was part of my Kekkei Genkai." Naruto explained. "You see, I'm an Iron Man!" he grinned, holding up the same arm he'd punched Kiba with.

It gleamed like silver in the sunlight.

"I-Iron…?" Kiba managed to spurt out.

"Iron Release, to be specific." Naruto smiled, "The technique I hit you with is just a side effect of my Iron Release: Steel Skin Jutsu. Just the name should be enough to explain what it does, right?"

At this the pink haired Haruno girl spoke up, reminding the pair that a crowd was surrounding them. "What do you mean Iron Release?! I thought the only type of elements were Fire, Lightning, Water, Earth, and Wind?"

"Nope!" Naruto grinned, feeling a bit more confident now that he was in familiar territory, "Some elements can be made by providing a combination of two or more elements. Usually the only way to gain access to these elements is through a Kekkei Genkai, like mine. Earth and Fire unite to forge a ferocious metal…" he held his arm up again, clapping it eagerly as a metallic sound echoed through the air. "Pretty cool huh?"

"Che…" Kiba grunted, steadily crawling back to his feet as he swayed back and forth from the pain, "Who cares if you've got some strange Kekkei Genkai…! This battle isn't over just yet! Akamaru!"

At his master's summons the young pup leapt forward, landing besides Kiba on all fours as the crowd began to sigh.

"K-Kiba-kun…" Hinata said in her soft tone, "I-Isn't t-this enough?"

"No way! This guy was looking down on us! There's no way I'll let him get away scot-free!"

The crowd deadpanned at Kiba's words.

"_That idiot…"_ Sakura thought, _"He has no idea that the kid was just nervous!"_

"Heh!" Kiba grinned, "You may have a strong punch, but once I'm partnered with Akamaru there's no way you can win! Right pal?!"

The dog barked in agreement, despite its thoughts that Kiba was overreacting.

"You still want to fight?" Naruto smiled lightly.

"Of course I do!" Kiba grinned, making a hand seal, "Let's do this Akamaru! Man-Beast Clone!"

A cloud of smoke erupted from around Akamaru, transforming him into an identical copy of Kiba. As both of them crouched down on all fours, Naruto's eyes shifted between them, wondering which of the pair would attack first.

"Let's wind things up Akamaru!" Kiba grinned, looking more feral than ever as he shifted through several small seals, "Gatsuuga!"

In an instant, the bodies of Kiba and Akamaru were obscured by a fierce whirl of wind, their bodies swirling and spinning into a vibrant array of gray as they transformed into two speeding torpedoes.

The crowd frowned.

"_CHA?!"_ Inner Sakura snarled, _"WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MORON THINK HE'S DOING, USING SUCH A TECHNIQUE ON THE ACADEMY GROUNDS?!"_

"Kiba you idiot! Stop before you seriously hurt someone!" A blonde girl in the crowd snapped, punching her fists angrily at the boy as he sped towards Naruto. "Shikamaru! Stop these idiots!"

"Nah… too troublesome."

The girl yelled in frustration.

Naruto smiled wryly as he watched the two incoming attacks. "Upsy Daisy!" he called out, leaping upwards as he let the two techniques slam into each other underneath him. "Heh! That's a pretty good technique, I wasn't expecting that to be such a close one!" he sweatdropped, landing on a nearby tree as he looked down at the pair, _"Guess I should put a stop to this before it really gets out of hand, huh?"_

He formed a hand seal, looking down towards the pair with a blank expression as gray chakra began to wrap around him. Within moments, both his arms were encased in a metallic sheen, and he jumped down from the tree towards the pair. "I'll end this quick!" he shouted at Kiba, shifting through a quick series of seals before pulling a fist back as if to punch them.

Kiba and Akamaru both looked up, identical expressions of shock crossing their face as they looked at the boy.

"Iron Style:" Naruto began, gray chakra wrapping around the fist like a hurricane as he pushed it forward, a great wind lined with metallic shards flying forth towards the pair; "Bullet Wind Jutsu!"

Kiba and Akamaru both gritted their teeth in pain, raising their arms defensively as the metallic shards fell upon them, ripping at the edges of their skin.

Just as they thought it was over, a large spherical shard collided with their center, knocking them for a loop and sending them spiraling into the dirt. Akamaru whined in pain, transforming back into his natural state.

Kiba on the other hand, was not quite ready to admit defeat.

"You'll… You'll have to do better than that, Uzumaki!" Kiba roared angrily, pulling himself up in rage to gaze at the blonde still dropping towards them.

"Then I'll finish it with this!" Naruto announced, grinning down at Kiba.

Flipping his body around so an arm was pointed upward in a perfect kicking position, Naruto grinned and reactivated his Steel Skin technique. Again the metallic sheen came across his body, and he gazed down at Kiba a little more seriously.

"Here we go! The spectacular finish! Iron Style: Sword Swinging Jutsu!"

And Naruto swung his leg down in a tremendous arc, gashing the ground between the two Inuzuka.

Kiba's eyes bulged as he watched what could've been him getting sliced in half. He quickly shot his head back towards Naruto, raising his hands in defeat.

"We're done! That's it! I'm not gonna die before I'm even a Genin!"

"Huh?" Naruto asked, pulling his leg back gently as he landed, glancing at Kiba warily. "You mean you're done?"

"Uh… yeah…" Kiba deadpanned, "That's… that's what it means."

Naruto frowned for a moment, as if disappointed that Kiba no longer wanted to continue. It was only then that he realized what a mess they'd made. "Ah, right… It probably wouldn't be good to keep fighting here anyway."

Kiba sweatdropped, but went along with it anyway. "Yeah! That's right! So now that you understand that much-"

"You're in the way." A stoic voice spoke coolly from behind Kiba, prompting several girls in the crowd to swoon in place.

Kiba's eyes widened as he turned slowly, only to gaze into the steely eyes of the last Uchiha.

Sasuke had arrived.

There was a brief silence as everyone wondered if the boy set to become "Rookie of the Year" would get involved.

They would find themselves disappointed…

… As he was now leaving with several girls in tow, including the studious Sakura Haruno. It wasn't that Sasuke intended to take them mind you. The boy was on the verge of being a sociopath, focusing on revenge, dreaming of revenge, fapping to revenge… it was as if his entire life was orchestrated for… revenge! As such, he didn't have the time for girls. Besides, he was a shinobi! The last of his Clan! He needed to train, not go off on dates and entertain whatever fan girl he happened to run into that day.

Despite all this, some couldn't help but be jealous.

"Stupid Sasuke… thinks he's so great." Kiba grumbled, dusting his clothes off, "Let's go Akamaru. We better get back before mom gets angry."

His dog barked in agreement, and they too disappeared into the lower village.

Naruto felt a cold winter breeze as he stood amongst the ruined academy ground, suddenly alone. "T-They ditched me…"

"U-Umm…" the pale-eyed girl spoke shyly, alerting Naruto to her continued presence.

"Ah?" the boy blinked, looking down towards the Hyuga, "You're still here! Your name was… Hyuga… Hinata, right?"

The girl nodded in affirmation, "H-Hai… U-Uzumaki-san, y-you really shouldn't g-get into fights… e-even if K-Kiba-san forced y-you into it…"

The boy sighed, knowing the girl was right. "I know. I was really trying to get along with everyone too! But sometimes you have to fight, otherwise people will walk all over you, you know?! Still, this place is pretty interesting, more than back at home, anyway."

"W-Was it nice…? B-Back where you l-lived I mean." Hinata asked, watching the boy shyly as he fumbled with his ripped sleeve.

Naruto smiled, "The Land of Iron? Yeah it was great! I mean, the town I lived in was small and all, but everyone got along with each other with no problems… but I guess that comes with everyone being related now that I think about it… Every once and a while there might be a few squabbles but they never really turned into anything serious."

Hinata tugged her zipper shyly as she continued to listen.

"That place really is my home. I remember almost all of my childhood in that place…" Naruto thought fondly, "Running around with my friends playing games like Ninja and Tag… taking care of a few errands for my adoptive parents. Heh, good times. Though, thinking back on them makes me wonder if coming here was the right idea after all…"

"I-I'm sure y-you'll adjust here w-with no problems…" Hinata assured him.

"Yeah, I just need to give it time is all!" Naruto nodded, "Speaking of, do you know anywhere I can go to get some food? I'm starving!"

"A-Ah… t-there are a f-few places you c-could go…."

"Really?! Ah, if it's not too much trouble do you think you could show me? I'm still new to Konoha and all…" Naruto laughed childishly, "I'll probably get lost if I try finding my way around alone!"

"I-I see… I s-suppose I can show you around…" Hinata smiled, "I-I won't be expected h-home for some t-time." _"Father will be busy training Hanabi-chan… I-I shouldn't interrupt them…"_

"If it isn't too much trouble, I would like to join you." A shaded boy spoke from the shadows.

The two young academy students called out in surprise, wheeling around to face the boy.

"S-Shino-san!" Hinata squeaked, pressing her fingers together in shame. How had he managed to sneak up on her? Her father would be so ashamed… "W-Were you t-there the entire t-time?"

The boy adjusted his shades calmly before speaking. "Indeed. As usual, a large majority of the class has forgotten of my existence."

"H-Huh…?" Naruto sweatdropped, "T-This guy is in our class huh…?" Inwardly the boy was reeling. _"I didn't see him at all!"_

"That is correct Uzumaki-san." The boy named Shino replied, "If you'd take the time to remember, you'd realize I was seated on the other side of you."

This statement only served to make Naruto even more nervous. _"T-The guy didn't have to take it so personally…"_

"S-Shino-san, y-you were saying y-you wanted to come w-with us?" Hinata asked, pressing her fingers together habitually.

"Correct. I know little of Uzumaki-san. It would be beneficial for me to make connections with our new comrade; especially in the event that we end up relying on each other at some point in the future."

"_Someone sure is straight to the point."_ Naruto thought before smiling, "Sure! The more people the better. Um… you aren't going to just disappear are you?"

Shino shook his head, not bothering to justify that question with a response. "So, Hyuga-san, where did you intend to take us?"

"A-Ah!" the girl squeaked, surprised at being put in the spotlight so suddenly, "U-Um… I-I suppose we c-could go to t-that one r-ramen stand…"

Naruto grinned, "Ramen sounds great!"

"I agree that it is an adequate choice. Lead the way Hyuga-san."

Naruto didn't know it, but his budding friendship with those two would define the rest of his days in the academy, as short as it would be.

-Na-

"Do you see him?"

"You mean that guy with the weirdoes?"

"Yeah, I heard he went crazy and beat on Kiba yesterday!"

"No way, that's what I heard too!"

"Well, explains why he's hanging around _those_ two. He probably has a few issues too."

"Sssh! He'll hear you!"

From his seat in the back Naruto cried. "How did it end up like this?" he asked, tears spilling down the desk as Hinata and Shino watched over him from their own seats.

"It seems that the students have already taken to labeling you." the Aburame noted, "Your association with us has affected your would-be popularity, and the fight with Kiba did little to help."

"G-Guh… everyone thinks I'm a creepy delinquent or something…" the boy mourned, earning a soft pat from Hinata.

"I-I'm sorry Naruto-san, i-it's because of us that t-this happened."

"I-It's fine… there's only a few days left of the Academy right…?" Naruto asked, "That's not enough time for any rumors to really sink in…"

"Heh, you'd be surprised." Kiba's voice growled out from in front of him.

Naruto frowned, turning to look at the boy who was currently sporting a black eye and several bandages.

"The gossips of the Academy can be pretty hectic, especially if they think they found something juicy to talk about." The Inuzuka stated, earning another drop of the head from Naruto.

"Great, not even a week and I'm already ruined. By the end of the day everyone's going to think I'm some psycho who runs around punching people. That reminds me Kiba," the Uzumaki looked up, "What happened to you? I'm pretty sure you weren't that beat up when you ran off yesterday." He paused, moving to amend his statement, "Well… you didn't have a black eye at least."

Kiba turned to look at the group slowly, an uncharacteristic frown pulling on his face as he answered. "That damn Hana…! She wasn't too fond of the fact that I took to "bullying" the new kid, as she called it."

Hinata gasped, covering her mouth as she looked at Kiba, "T-That's terrible K-Kiba-san, y-you shouldn't let h-her beat o-on you like t-that."

"Well it's not like I didn't resist!" Kiba retorted, "Hana's just way too strong. Hell, she's already a Chunin, and that's saying something."

Naruto looked between the two curiously, still out of the loop of what was going on. "Hold on a second, who's this Hana girl you guys are talking about?"

Shino adjusted his glasses, answering the question in Kiba's stead, "Hana is another member of the Inuzuka Clan, more specifically, Kiba's sister. It would seem that Kiba isn't the only one in his family who has a tendency to get rough."

"I can still feel the initial impact…" Kiba complained, ignoring the small snickering coming from his canine companion.

"Alright class!" Iruka's voice cut through the many conversations in the classroom, "Settle down, settle down… As you all know, the Genin Exams are right around the corner. With that being said, I'm fairly certain that some of you are still having trouble maintaining the Transformation Technique…"

The man paused, drawing an intricate design on the board to assist his teaching. "As you can see here, the key to success is the way in which you mold your chakra between steps B and C. It's very important you don't mistake the Ram seal for the Tiger seal. Trust me; you'd be surprised by how many students fail the exam just because they didn't study their hand seals well enough."

Sakura raised her hand, "But sensei, how could any of us make such a novice mistake? Learning hand seals is something you covered back in the first segment of the Academy! I don't see how anyone could possibly forget which hand seal is which."

"That's a good question Sakura," Iruka smiled, "but what you have to remember is that you all are only Academy Students. When it comes to a confrontation in the field, you'll be forced to think on your feet, and a lot of that information will be lost when you're trading blows with a bandit or enemy ninja. That actually leads me to the next point I was going to make. Mizuki, if you would?"

The white-haired Chunin nodded, passing scrolls down all the aisles as he made his way to the front of the class. Once roughly third of the class had a scroll placed in front of them, Iruka began to speak.

"In a few moments you all will be partnering up and participating in a survival exercise. Those of you who received a scroll will make up one side, and those of you who did not will make up the other."

The class began to murmur softly to each other as Iruka continued his explanation.

"The goal of this exercise is simple. The teams carrying a scroll are to make their way from point A to point B. It is the job of those who lack a scroll to intercept and steal a scroll, whenever and however possible. I'd like to remind you all that this is meant to be a friendly team exercise, and as such lethal force will be met with severe punishment. That being said," Iruka paused to take a breath, "you are encouraged to make full use of your arsenal, as this exercise is also meant to give you all a look at what it will be like in the field. Now, in a moment Mizuki will assign your groups, after which we will be making our way to Training Ground Three. I'll be going ahead to set things up, see you all soon!" Iruka smiled, before disappearing in a light whirl of leaves.

The class sat silently for several moments as Mizuki got his things together.

"Alright then," the man said finally, smiling eerily as he pulled out the roster, "let's see how I should pair you up hmm?"

The class shivered, Mizuki wasn't exactly known for his kindness with class assignments. It wasn't likely that any girls would end up teaming with the Uchiha at any rate.

"Aburame Shino, you will be partnered with Akimichi Choji and Haruno Sakura." The silver-haired Chunin smirked, having found a simple way of partnering everyone up.

Sakura frowned, disheartened by the fact that she wouldn't be partnered with her crush. The fact she got partnered with someone who used bugs didn't help much either.

Despite this, Mizuki continued onward, going down the roster as he saw fit. By the time he had nearly concluded, much of the class had figured he was doing things alphabetically, resulting in Hinata being teamed with Kiba and Shikamaru, and other unimportant classmates being thrown in with people they weren't all that accustomed to.

"…and finally," Mizuki smiled, "Uchiha Sasuke will be partnered with Uzumaki Naruto and Yamanaka Ino."

The girl squealed when her name was announced, sending a victory sign over to Sakura accompanied by a childish raspberry.

"_This is my chance to prove myself to Sasuke!"_ Ino thought, pumping her fist energetically, _"There's no way I'll lose!"_

Sasuke remained still, showing no signs that he might be bothered by the partnerships at all. In his eyes, it didn't matter who he was partnered with, so long as they didn't slow him down.

"Well then, if everyone's ready, let's go ahead and meet up with Iruka."

He walked out the door, prompting the class to follow him as they discussed their plans with their assigned groups.

"Isn't this great Sasuke-kun? We finally get to show everyone just how amazing we would be as a couple!" Ino smiled, leading the boy by the hand as she followed Mizuki, "And you!" she snapped, turning around to glare at Naruto, "you better do your part too! I won't allow you to slack off like that dumbass Shikamaru, got it?!"

The Uzumaki blinked in confusion for a moment before nodding towards Ino. "Right. Don't worry, I'll definitely help out!"

"Good!" Ino smiled, perfectly happy again, "We can't have ourselves losing to that Forehead of Sakura's, so that means we can't settle for anything but first place!"

"_Jeez… what's with this girl? She's really upbeat!"_ Naruto thought.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, not really caring one way or the other. He'd do enough to make sure he lived up to his name as Uchiha, but he wouldn't think about teaming up with anyone unless they proved they could keep up with him.

Despite Sasuke's thoughts, it wasn't long until they had arrived at Training Ground Three with the rest of Iruka's class. The area was filled with small forested areas, providing much cover and hiding spots to those who would use it.

"Alright, I suppose now that we're all here I should go over the rules." Iruka announced, glancing over the crowd, "To those with a scroll, Mizuki will be taking you further inside to explain your part in this task."

Several groups nodded, following the smiling Chunin deep into the woods. When they were out of sight, Iruka turned back to the remaining groups, explaining what it was they were to do.

"As I said earlier, those without a scroll are to intercept another group and retrieve one. If and when you manage to fulfill this objective, you are to write each of your names in the scroll and make your way back here, where you shall place the scroll in this box." Iruka explained, pointing to a box with the words "Group B" littered across it. Now, I want to remind you all that this is meant to be a review and teamwork exercise, and as such, no lethal force is meant to be used." Iruka repeated, placing emphasis on the lethal. "I know that many of you can get a bit overeager, and I'd rather not explain to a parent why their child ended up in the hospital on my watch." Iruka chuckled, "Now then, are there any last minute questions?"

No one said anything.

"Good, in that case, let the exercise begin!" Iruka roared, shooting a small firecracker into the sky to alert Mizuki's group that the games had begun.

-RU-

"Choji! Stop eating already! I'm trying to listen for any classmates!" Sakura hissed, scolding the large boy as he continued to munch on his favorite brand of chips.

"Mhm…" Choji spoke between bites, "Sorry Sakura, but I wasn't able to eat breakfast this morning. These chips are all I'll have until class is over."

Sakura sighed, "How did an Akimichi manage to go without breakfast?"

"Well, I had stayed up playing Shogi with Shikamaru, but then-"

"Never mind," Sakura deadpanned, "I don't want to know. Besides, we need to be quiet so we can hear if we've got any nearby enemies."

"Actually Sakura-san," Shino cut in, adjusting his shades as usual, "I have taken the liberty to spread my bugs around us in a mile radius. If anyone comes near, I will be informed."

There were a few small seconds of silence as Sakura registered what he said.

"T-That's good Shino," she sweatdropped, though she was thinking something entirely different on the inside, _"Why didn't that idiot say anything earlier?! I'd kick his ass if it wasn't for all those bugs he has on him SHANNARO!"_

"Indeed. It seems as though my bugs have just located two approaching groups, should we retreat?"

Sakura frowned, "Did they say who they were?"

"It would seem that old bully of yours, Ami-san, is a part of one of the groups. The other has no important information."

The girl took in this information, debating whether or not it'd be a good idea to risk a fight. They needed to deliver their scroll safely after all. Still, the chance to beat on her old bully was something she couldn't afford to miss, "We'll see if we can't lose the others, but let's circle around, see if we can't incapacitate Ami's group from behind."

"Are you sure?" Choji asked, still munching on his chips.

"Of course I'm sure!" Sakura snapped, "Besides Choji, I heard her call you fat the other day."

That settled it. Ami was going down.

Elsewhere in the same forest, Naruto sighed. He and Ino had been following Sasuke around for several minutes, and there still hadn't been a single word spoken amongst the boys. Ino on the other hand was jabbering off like a banshee, talking about all the latest rumors and gossip that had spread through the academy.

"And then I said that she had to be joking, because there was no way that Shikamaru would take a bossy girl like her!" Ino laughed at her own joke, oblivious to the fact that no one else was really listening.

"Ino, shut up." Sasuke grunted, his eyes narrowing as he landed on a tree branch.

"Huh? Sasuke-kun?" the girl asked in confusion, almost afraid as if she had offended him.

"Hn. I can sense someone's presence nearby…" the Uchiha growled, glancing through the trees, "Your talking would have alerted them to us being here."

"I see." Naruto whispered, moving forward until he was beside Sasuke. _"He has some pretty good skills, even I haven't noticed anyone yet! Guess he's not just a pretty boy after all."_

"Any ideas as to where they might be?" he found himself asking.

"Probably beneath us, if that noise is anything to go by."

"Ah, I hear it too!" Ino replied, keeping her voice quiet as she joined her group. "It sounds like… is that Kiba?" the girl deadpanned.

"It sounds like him…" Naruto agreed, "I knew he was loud but I didn't think he'd actually give away his team's location."

Ino frowned, "I know Kiba was on a team with Shikamaru… it might be a trap."

Sasuke smirked, "Shikamaru huh…? Looks like there'll be a worthy challenge here after all." He dropped down from his tree, disappearing into the forest below.

"Ah! Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, leaping after him.

"Wait!" Ino shrieked, "I just said it might be a trap you idiots! What're you doing running in headfirst?!"

"Looks like you were right Kiba, it was Sasuke's group after all." The Nara drawled, sighing as he ran a hand through his pineapple-shaped hair. "This is gonna be troublesome."

"Bah! Even if Sasuke's with them, they're no match for me and Akamaru!" Kiba grinned, readying himself for battle.

"Ah… but Kiba-san, isn't that what you said yesterday before I fought you too?" Naruto asked.

Kiba's eye twitched, "Y-You shut up! That was a fluke and you know it!" he turned to his teammates, "Anyway, make sure you keep that scroll safe Hinata! It's our ticket to victory after all!"

"R-Right!"

"Sasuke and the new kid? This'll be more trouble than it's worth. Especially since the last member of their group is-"

"You idiots!" Ino shouted, slapping Naruto across the back of the head as she joined them, "I told you it was a trap!"

"Gah! Why just me?!" Naruto complained, rubbing the back of his head as he sat up.

"Ino." Shikamaru greeted.

"Ah Shikamaru!" Ino gave a fake smile, "This is good! Why don't you just hand over your scroll? You don't want to get into anything troublesome anyway right?"

The Nara sighed. "I'd like to but-"

"No way in hell!" Kiba interrupted, crouching down, "You aren't gonna take our scroll Yamanaka!"

"Damn." The girl frowned, "If it wasn't for Kiba that probably would've worked."

"Heh, looks like we have a standoff then." Sasuke smirked. There was no way he was going to lose.

-TO-

Sakura smirked as she looked down at the barely conscious Ami. The purple-haired bully was the only member of her team left conscious, the other two having been defeated by Shino and Choji long ago.

"Well Ami, looks like this time it's my win." The Haruno smiled, twirling her scroll around in her fingers.

"D-Damn you Haruno… I won't forget… this…" the girl sighed, finally fading into the realm of sleep.

"Man," Choji munched, "who would've thought they'd be that weak?"

"It's not their fault they got teamed up with a bully." Sakura shrugged, "I'm willing to bet Ami had beaten up on them for some time before we even caught up to her. Still, that made it all the easier for me to put my Genjutsu on them!"

"They did seem a bit tired…" Shino admitted, "Even so, our mission has yet to conclude. Shall we continue to Point B?"

"Yeah!" Sakura grinned, feeling much lighter than she did earlier. Beating Ami had taken away her ire at losing Sasuke to Ino, as petty as it seemed.

-GO-

"Kagemane no Jutsu success." Shikamaru said confidently, watching as his clone faded away in the wind.

"What the-?" Naruto sputtered, "Hey guys I can't move!"

Sasuke grunted, "So it was like that huh?"

"Now Kiba!"

"Gatsuuga!" the Inuzuka snarled from a different part of the forest, torpedoing towards the group with his partner in tow.

"Scatter!" Ino shouted, dropping a flash bomb as Sasuke leapt back into the trees. Watching as Shikamaru's jutsu was disrupted; Ino leapt forward, grabbing Naruto and pulling him out the way of Kiba's attack.

"Che. Figured that wouldn't work." Shikamaru murmured, watching as the three disappeared back into the forest, "Guess it's on to stage two."

Naruto wheezed, calling out with Ino dropped him unceremoniously on the ground. "Ow!"

"Told you it was a trap." Ino smirked.

"Y-Yeah… but Sasuke just rushed in, I had to back him up!" Naruto retorted.

"Ah?! Where is Sasuke anyway?" Ino swooned, "Maybe he needs me to swoop in and save him too! Then he'll declare his undying love for me and-"

"As if." Sasuke said coldly as he rejoined the two, "Shikamaru's planning something."

"_I could have told you that…"_ Ino deadpanned, though she hid it well with a gentle smile.

"Man… what was that jutsu of his? I couldn't move at all!" Naruto whined.

"Shikamaru is part of the Nara Clan." Ino explained to the blonde, "That means that he's been trained since birth in how to manipulate the shadows as he pleases. If he ever manages to catch you with his… well, let's just say you'd be toast."

"Is that so…" Naruto smiled lightly, _"First Kiba, now this guy... Konoha is just filled to the brim with interesting people!"_

"Hn, I need to get that scroll from him somehow." Sasuke plotted, turning away from the group.

"Why don't we think up a plan?!" Naruto asked, "I mean, if we use basic strategy we should be fine right?!"

"Pft!" Ino scoffed, "Strategy against Shikamaru? It wouldn't hurt to try but there's no way you can outthink him. He's probably the smartest person in our class! No offense Sasuke."

"Hn."

Naruto stood, furrowing his brow tightly as he tried to think, "Well, we don't have to go against Shikamaru directly do we? I mean, thinking back didn't Kiba-san say Hinata-san was the one with the scroll? As long as we can get it from her we don't have to deal with Shikamaru at all!"

"Well, you're right about that but…" Ino frowned, "Wouldn't Shikamaru be expecting that?"

"I'll handle Shikamaru." Sasuke replied.

"Alone?" Naruto asked, "But Ino-san just said-"

"You'd just get in my way." Sasuke grunted, walking off into the forest.

"Wait a second! Sasuke!" Ino called after him, not getting a reply, "Damn! There goes my chance to woo him…"

Naruto sweatdropped, why were girls so weird?

Hinata frowned as she walked through the forest accompanied by Kiba and Akamaru. She'd been surprised when Sasuke had suddenly lunged out of the trees, tackling Shikamaru into a nearby grove. Kiba had been prepared to help when Shikamaru demanded otherwise, claiming that it was important to get the scroll to safety as quickly as possible. Kiba had growled, but he relented in the end. Hinata frowned, it wasn't like either of them were a match for Sasuke anyway.

"Huh? What's with the face Hinata?" Kiba asked, earning a shocked look from the girl.

"H-Huh? Oh! I-It's just… I was wondering h-how Shikamaru is doing…"

"He'll be fine!" Kiba grinned, "Even if Sasuke's physically stronger, Shikamaru's smart enough to know how to handle himself. I wouldn't be surprised if he's dragging Sasuke down into one of his traps right now!"

"R-Right…"

"So you understand the plan right?" Ino asked Naruto one last time, earning a nod from the boy.

"I got it already!" he whispered back, "I just need to keep watch over your body right? It doesn't seem that hard."

Ino glared at him, "You better not do anything funny while I'm gone either. If I wake up and find out you m-molested me or something-!"

Naruto raised a hand to calm the girl, "I swear I won't do anything like that! I'm not a pervert you know!"

Ino breathed a sigh of relief before nodding. "Alright, I'm trusting you here! Here I go." She turned, forming the bird seal as she aimed at the back of the Hyuga, "Shintenshin no Jutsu!"

If one could see chakra, they would see a sudden stream of light burst out from Ino's body, drifting off in a straight line before disappearing into Hinata's. The Hyuga girl stiffened for a moment, prompting Kiba to look at her strangely.

"Uh… Hinata, everything alright there?"

"Hm? Y-Yes Kiba everything is fine!" Hinata smiled awkwardly. _"Damn that was close! Luckily Hinata doesn't have much fight in her, shouldn't be a problem for a prolonged stay."_

"Hmm… if you say so." Kiba shrugged, turning forward, "Still it's weird. I would've thought that Sasuke's team would've attacked us by now."

Ino-Hinata shrugged, "Maybe they found someone easier to attack and went after them instead?"

Kiba blinked, "Maybe, but that doesn't explain why Shikamaru isn't back yet."

"Eh… erm… well, Sasuke is known to be a bit of a loner." Ino-Hinata offered, _"Sorry Sasuke-kun, but it is kind of true!"_

"Hmm… are you sure you're alright Hinata?" Kiba asked, placing a hand to the girl's head, "You don't have a fever or anything do you?"

"K-Kiba… get your hands off me!" Ino-Hinata shrieked, plowing the boy into the ground with her fist. _"O-Oh shit! Hinata doesn't hit people! Kiba's gonna know for sure I'm not her now!"_

"U-Ugh!" Kiba coughed, steadily crawling back to his feet, "O-Oi! Why the hell did you go and hit me like that eh?! Damn, you sure do have a punch though… might even be harder than Sakura's…"

"W-Well you shouldn't h-have surprised me so suddenly!" Ino-Hinata retorted, flushing her face in an attempt to return to the Hyuga's shy demeanor.

"Man Akamaru… remind me not to get on Hinata's bad side." Kiba pouted, getting a nod of agreement from the pup.

Ino-Hinata sighed, tilting her said to the side to spot Naruto dragging her unconscious body behind him. "E-Eh?" _"That moron! He's walking right in plain view! How the hell has no one seen him yet?! Even worse, what the hell is he doing dragging my body through the dirt like that?! Doesn't he know what that'll do to my hair?!"_

"K-Kiba-san…?" Ino-Hinata paused, turning back to her "partner", "D-Do you think we c-can stop for a m-moment?"

"Huh? Why?" Kiba frowned. "I thought we were supposed to get back to the clearing as quickly as possible?"

"I-It's just…" Ino-Hinata frowned, trying to think of an excuse, "I-I need to u-use the uh…"

"Huh?" Kiba began to pale, "Wait, you don't mean you need to… uh… well, g-go right ahead Hinata! Take all the time you need!" _"Kami! I didn't want to know she needed to do that! I thought girls didn't have to go…"_

"R-Right!" Ino-Hinata grinned, turning a glare back at Naruto's location, "I'll be right back then!"

Kiba nodded, quickly walking off with Akamaru and leaning against a tree. Good, she had a reason to be alone now. Walking back to where she last saw Naruto, Ino-Hinata glared. "That idiot, he better not have gotten me hurt with his stupidity!"

"Huh? Hinata? No, Ino, right…?" Naruto asked, appearing once more with the girl's body draped across his back.

"Naruto…" Ino-Hinata hissed, turning on her heel and attempting to punch the boy in the gut.

The blonde wheeled backwards with wide eyes, allowing Ino-Hinata to drift past him. "W-What'd I do this time?!"

"You were ruining my body that's what! What the hell did you think you were doing dragging me across the ground like that?!"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked in confusion, "O-Oh! When I was following you and Kiba, I hadn't completely accounted for your uh…" he trailed off, knowing full well what would happen if he said weight. He could tell without asking that Ino was sensitive to her body's wellbeing, and if there was the slightest hint that something was wrong with her, there'd be hell to pay. "s-spectacular "assets"!" he amended himself quickly.

Ino, no, Hinata's eyes widened comically, and her face began to turn beet red. "H-Huh? M-My assets? W-W-What do you mean they were s-spectacular-"

Naruto glanced at her blankly for a few seconds before quickly continuing before the girl could get angry. "A-Anyway, I ended up nearly dropping you several times, so I had to set you down and adjust myself is all… ehehe…"

"W-Whatever…" Ino-Hinata huffed, tossing her hair over her head. "Anyway, I got the scroll." She murmured, handing the boy the item Hinata had been carrying. "Go ahead and get back to Iruka-sensei's meeting point, I need to finish up with Hinata and Kiba before he gets suspicious, or worse, Shikamaru gets back. And don't go admiring m-my a-assets when you do it!" she folded her arms imperiously, a look that didn't suit the kind and gentle Hinata. "E-Even if a maiden like myself exists to be admired."

That caused something to click in Naruto's head, "Speaking of admiration, have you heard anything from that boy-toy of yours, Sasuke?"

"Sasuke-kun? Not yet. I guess Shikamaru must be doing pretty well against him." Ino-Hinata smiled lightly, "Not that he'll last much longer. Anyway, g-go ahead and get out of here before I change my mind about pummeling you!"

"Eh? Right!" Naruto nodded, giving the girl a salute before heading off.

"_R-Really… admiring my assets he says. I'll hit him good next time."_ Ino, no, Hinata decided, turning to make her way back to Kiba.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he maneuvered through the forest, the scroll loaded safely within his carrying case. Leaping through the trees and dodging through the bushes much like a fox stalking its prey, he neared Iruka's chosen destination, intent on delivering the scroll to Box B without any setbacks.

Unfortunately, not everything could be so smoothly. Naruto's ears twitched as they picked up a sudden sound, and glancing behind him, he saw three tired-looking Academy Students chasing after him.

"_Oh? They must think I'm easy prey because I'm alone!"_ Naruto thought to himself, his eyes widening as he turned around to face the three. "You three have been following me for the past ten minutes! Is there something I could help you with?" he asked, a single sweatdrop pooling down his forehead.

"Oh, look if it isn't Uzumaki Naruto!" the purple-haired forerunner squawked, "What's that in your pocket there hot stuff?"

"A-Ami, we already got beaten once already… I'm not sure if this is the best ide-AH!" Ami's group member hissed, having been whacked in the eye by the girl.

"Shut up! It's bad enough that we lost to that Forehead of Haruno's! I'm not going to sit back and let our chance of redemption pass us by!"

"Huh? You guys fought Shino's group huh?" Naruto smiled, "Wow, I guess that means he's pretty strong after all!" _"Heh, and here I thought he was just weird…"_

"Ugh, don't remind us…" Ami's second partner murmured, "There were so m-many of those things…!"

"Stop whining!" Ami smirked, "It doesn't matter how strong they were, because they don't matter anymore! I'll get Forehead back later, but right now it's three on one! There's no way you can win!"

"Wait!" Naruto raised his hand, deciding to try and handle things peacefully, "If you'd sit and think for a moment, you'd realize that we were both part of a group that didn't have a scroll! What makes you think I have one?"

"He has a point Ami…" the first partner pointed out, rewarding himself with yet another smack from the wannabe kunoichi.

"Idiot! He's obviously trying to bluff his way out of the situation. Look at him, notice anything different from when we were gathered with Iruka-sensei?"

The second partner looked at Naruto thoroughly, prompting the blonde in question to start sweating.

"Hey, now that you mention it Ami, it looks like he has a few extra bulges in his equipment!"

"Umm… I stole some kunai after fighting with Kiba?"

"As if! It's obvious he's hiding something! And it's probably a scroll!" Ami hissed, "Sic him!"

"Uh oh." Naruto muttered, leaping upwards as Ami's teammates lunged at him tactlessly. Pulling a kunai out of his weapon pouch, the blonde flipped in midair, blocking a well-timed shuriken that Ami had thrown at him. Landing on all fours on the forest floor, Naruto turned, shifting through several hand seals as two blunted kunai whizzed past his face, courtesy of Ami's teammates.

"Iron Style:" Naruto started, releasing his unnaturally gray chakra as it wrapped around him, "Bullet Wind jutsu!"

Ami's teammate's eyes widened, the metallic shards slinging past them and pinning them into a pair of nearby trees. The bully growled as she watched her "bodyguards" go down, glaring at Naruto with the hate of a thousand suns.

"Problem?" Naruto asked curiously, bending down as he readied himself to deal with Ami directly.

"First Haruno, and now this bastard! I'll see you burn Uzumaki!" Ami shrieked, running forward with a loud, obnoxious battle cry.

Naruto blinked, easily sidestepping the girl and judo chopping the girl in the back of the neck.

"Really… didn't work for Kiba, won't work for you." He deadpanned, looking at the three defeated students. "You all fought bravely, but… you could use a little more training. Anyway, I should get going, I have to drop this scroll off or Ino-san will hit me! See you guys later!" he waved, running off to make up for his lost time.

"H-How could someone so nice be so strong!" Ami's teammate cried, wincing as he watched his partner fall off the tree unconscious.

"Almost there! Almost there!" Naruto grinned, "Yes! I made it!"

He cheered, taking Iruka's ink and drafting his teammate's names onto the scroll. Finishing with his, he rolled the scroll up, tossing it into Group B's bin and grinning.

Iruka smiled at the boy, "I think that just about wraps things up then huh? But Naruto-san, where are your teammates?"

Naruto rubbed his chin in thought, "Well, I know Ino is pretending to be Hinata with Kiba, so they should be arriving shortly… As for Sasuke… I think he ended up fighting Shikamaru, I haven't seen him for a while now."

At that moment, Sasuke emerged from the trees, a resigned Shikamaru following close behind him.

"Hn, dobe. Figures you'd lose track of your teammates." The boy smirked.

"Ah! Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, "What happened to you?"

"The Uchiha was just too difficult for me to corner." Shikamaru answered for him, "I gave up after realizing there wasn't enough equipment for me to adequately subdue him."

"I see." Iruka noted, writing several notes down on his teacher's pad.

Kiba and Ino-Hinata joined them soon after, the girl of the group smiling brightly when she noticed Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun!" Ino-Hinata said in a fangirlish tone, shocking everyone as she ran and attached herself to his arm.

"What? The Hyuga?! No!" Sasuke gasped, attempting to pry the girl off.

"Ah! That's right, I almost forgot!" Ino-Hinata smiled, stepping back from Sasuke and forming what appeared to be the Bird Seal once again. "I need to get rid of this body. Hinata's nice and all, but it's starting to feel a bit weird in here. Kai!"

Kiba gaped, "W-What the hell?! INO?!"

Naruto's eyes widened as he realized a fatal mistake he had made. "Ah… Ah… I-Iruka-sensei… is class over?"

Iruka blinked at the boy several times before nodding slowly, "I… suppose. All that's left is to gather up those left in the Field. Those of you already here can go ahead and leave."

"Right… I'll go do that then." Naruto nodded, quickly making his exit.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at Naruto, wondering what had gotten the boy so nervous. It would be another five minutes before he realized that the reason Naruto was so eager to leave…

…was because he left Ino's body back in the forest.

"NARUTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

**And so the first chapter comes to a close! With the Genin Exams right around the corner, will Naruto be able to fit in long enough to become a Genin? Find out next time on Naruto: Iron Path!**

**Tell me your thoughts, and see you next time!**


	2. Exams and Demands! Mizuki's Downfall!

**The Genin Exams have arrived, but between the long wait and thorough examination, will Naruto have what it takes to pass? And what of his fellow classmates? Find out, this time on Naruto: Iron Path!**

**Chapter 2**

**Exams and Demands! Mizuki's Downfall!**

-_Konoha: Ninja Academy-_

Naruto frowned. It was the day of the Genin Exam, the day that all the boys and girls of the Academy had been waiting for. The day they would set aside their childish rivalries and set out to become an ideal shinobi of Konoha! And yet…

"Hyuga, Hinata!"

"How much longer is this thing going to take?" the boy asked aloud, getting a few small murmurs of agreement amongst the crowd.

It had been several hours since the exam started, and they were only just getting to the H's! Granted, the Genin Exam encompassed the entire Academy, and not just Iruka's class, but still! There was no excuse for such a blatant waste of their time.

"You should be more patient Uzumaki-san." Shino said, "Your turn will come soon enough."

Naruto deadpanned at the boy who was now wearing a dark blue forehead protector, "Big words for a guy who somehow managed to go first."

Shino looked at him, giving the blonde the impression he was glaring beneath the sunglasses.

"But really Shino," Kiba jumped in, drawing the boy's attention, "what are you even doing here? Shouldn't you be home celebrating or something?"

"Father suggested I stay away from the Compound for a few hours. It seems our kikai bugs are in the middle of an important mating ritual. It is likely the elders do not wish for those inexperienced in the art of breeding to interfere."

Naruto paled, imagining swarms of Shino's bugs covering an entire area, mating with each other and making more. "Ugh… Bug Sex." He muttered, looking sick.

Kiba laughed, "Man, you're such a puss Naruto! It'll take a lot more than a few slimy bugs to scare me!"

"Actually, kikai bugs are quite-"

"Enough already..." Naruto interrupted, "Man, why'd I have to get stuck with such a crappy last name? Uzumaki… by the time I'm called the only person left will be-" he tilted his head slowly, staring at the blonde girl that he'd left defenseless in the forest a few days prior.

She smiled at him. Not a kind, gentle smile, but a fake smile. The kind you gave to someone you dreamt of killing in your sleep.

Naruto shivered.

"Ah don't worry about her. She'll get over it in a few days or so." Kiba assured him, "Anyway Shino, what happened in there? Come on give us the scoop! Was it hard or easy?"

Shino adjusted his shades calmly, "You realize that my telling you would be cheating, and that you could be put on Academic Probation if someone finds out you have correct?"

"Oh please," Kiba waved him off, "not only are we ninja, who are _supposed_ to be stealthy and tricky, but it's already the last day of class! Just go on and spit it out already will ya?!"

"Well, if you're going to act like that then perhaps I should leave." Shino said, making to stand.

"Ah! Hold on Shino!" Naruto complained, "Kiba didn't mean anything by it, did you Kiba?" the blonde asked, smiling wryly at the Inuzuka.

"Eh? Right, right! I'm just a little riled up is all…" Kiba laughed. "You gotta admit the wait isn't doing much for the nerves."

Naruto sighed in agreement, looking at the door where Iruka and the other examiners were testing the students, "Geez… how long is Hinata-san gonna spend in there? She's taking almost twice the time as everyone else."

It was at that moment that the door opened, and the girl in question walked out meekly wearing a shiny new headband around her neck.

"Now, remember what we talked about Hinata," Iruka said with a smile, earning a blush and a small nod from the girl as she made her way towards her seat to grab her things.

"Huh? So you passed then? I guess if you can do it I don't have much to worry about after all!" Kiba laughed, not noticing the girl flush red and poke her fingers together.

"I-It wasn't that h-hard… s-so y-you're right K-Kiba-san, y-you shouldn't h-have much t-trouble…" the girl squeaked, grabbing a small set of flowers she'd been pressing before turning around. "I-I'll be g-going."

"I suppose it is time I made my exit as well." Shino sighed, "There are a few other things that need doing before I return to my Clan. Farewell Inuzuka-san, Uzumaki-san." He nodded at the two as he too began to walk off.

"See ya Shino!" Naruto waved, watching the pair walk off together curiously. "Hey… Kiba," he started, extending his arm to try and pat the boy on the side, "You don't think that those two are- eh? Kiba?" Naruto turned, looking back to where Kiba was a few seconds prior only to see the boy disappearing into the door with Iruka.

The blonde's head drooped, "Stupid last name…"

Hours passed, and little by little the students remaining in the enlarged classroom began to disappear.

Naruto remained in his seat, his head seated comfortably in his right hand as he dozed in and out, listening to the names that were called before returning to another short nap.

"Nara, Shikamaru?"

"Ru…"

"Sa…?"

"Uchiha, Sasuke?"

"Uzumaki, Naruto?" Iruka's voice called out.

The blonde in question didn't move, his head dropped flat on his desk as a small layer of drool rolled down onto the floor.

"Uzumaki, Naruto?" Iruka called again, steadily growing impatient as he stared at the boy who swore he wouldn't fall asleep in class.

"Hey, idiot, wake up!" Ino hissed, smacking the boy once on the top of the head and knocking him from his stupor.

"Eh? Ino?!" the boy shouted, tipping his chair over backwards and landing flat on his back.

"Iruka-sensei's called you twice now! Hurry up so we can get this over with!" the girl huffed, glaring at him as she made her way back to her seat.

"Huh?" Naruto glanced down, noticing an angrily amused Iruka looking at him steadily. "A-ha… Yosh! Finally I can get outta here!"

The blonde jumped to his feet, wiping the drool from his chin with his sleeve as he ran down towards the Chunin Instructor.

"Wouldn't fall asleep in class huh?" Iruka asked, opening the door for the blonde as he neared.

"Ehehehe… sorry about that sensei." Naruto grinned, walking past him into the room.

Iruka sighed, following behind him and shutting the door closed.

The room for the practical examination was fairly tiny as opposed to the waiting room, but Naruto figured it made sense with how the exam was set up.

Seated along the back wall was an elongated table with examiners from each class seated behind it. Iruka walked up, joining his fellow teachers at the table as he flipped open a file, presumably Naruto's and regarded the boy carefully.

"Well then Uzumaki-san." Iruka began by addressing the boy formally, "Your file says that you are already fit for field duty, but Hokage-sama asked us to re-evaluate you, for statistical purposes of course."

"I know. That Third explained it to me when I first got back here. Still, I won't get one of those neat headbands if I don't do well enough, so let's get to it!" Naruto grinned.

"Very well." Iruka agreed, snapping the file shut as he spared a quick glance at his fellow examiners. Many of them appeared to be bored or otherwise occupied. Hell, one of them was trying to get away with reading Icha Icha beneath the table! Coughing lightly to grab everyone's attention, Iruka nodded.

"Mizuki-san, I suppose we should go ahead and start." The scarred Chunin spoke, earning a nod from the silver-haired shinobi.

"Alright Naruto," the man smiled, "in order to pass you will have to successfully demonstrate knowledge of the three basic jutsu, and prove that you can effectively use them in battle. In case you've forgotten, these three jutsu are the Henge transformation technique, the Kawarimi replacement technique, and the Bunshin cloning technique. If at any time you feel you can no longer perform up to adequate standards, you may notify one of the examiners and we will reschedule you to finish the exam tomorrow. If you do not, whatever grade you receive at the end of the exam will be final, excluding an order from the Hokage that says otherwise. Do you verify that you have been told and understand the rules and criteria of the practical portion of the Genin Exam?"

Naruto nodded, "I do."

"Then you may begin when you are ready." Mizuki stated, sitting back down.

The blonde nodded curtly, turning his attention to the rest of the examiners as he thought about which of the three jutsu he wanted to begin with. Deciding to start things off relatively easily, he placed his hands together in the ram seal, drawing on his chakra to shape and mold it to his purposes. Gazing upon the examiners, Naruto found his target, eyeing a man off in the corner who appeared to be paying a bit less attention than the others.

The blonde grinned. "I'll begin with the Henge," he announced, quickly shifting his fingers between the Dog, Boar, and Ram hand seals.

In mere seconds, a small plume of smoke enveloped Naruto's tiny figure, masking his body as his chakra molded around him to disguise him as someone else. As the smoke cleared, Naruto Uzumaki was nowhere to be seen, his body having been disguised as the man in the corner, complete with the book of Icha Icha's Make Out Paradise in his hands. Smiling, he flipped a page in the book, reading out its contents.

"Tsu-Tsu gasped as Jira captured her lips with his own, devouring her completely as he spread her out on the mattress… The young woman had no idea what pleasures awaited her, but as Jira dropped the last of his robes-"

The man in the corner hacked and sputtered, catching everyone's attention as he looked at Naruto in shock. "T-That's enough young man!" he shouted, blushing profusely as he shut the very same page in his own book. "W-We have obviously been shown that you have adequate mastery over the Henge technique… if not more!"

Naruto snickered, pocketing the book and forming the Ram Seal once more, dispelling the technique. "Sorry examiner-san," he apologized, "It's just I saw you weren't paying attention so…"

"I-It is fine. The fact you managed to recreate the very page I was on shows you have much talent for your age." The man blushed, still embarrassed about having been called out by a mere Academy Student.

Iruka laughed, "I see. Well then Naruto, it looks like you've shown you have mastery of the Henge technique, what of the other two?"

"Ah, these two will be easy as well!" the Uzumaki grinned, calling up his chakra again.

The examiners watched in interest as the boy quickly shifted between the Ram, Snake, and Tiger seals, releasing a tiny wisp of chakra that drifted down beside him before exploding into a variety of colors.

"I present the Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto announced, smiling as a perfect copy of himself appeared next to him, smiling in the exact same way. _"No need to show off and tell them I can make an Iron Clone as well." _Naruto thought.

"Well done!" Iruka smiled, making several notes in Naruto's file. "All that leaves is the Kawarimi no Jutsu. If the other two are anything to go by, I assume you have this one down pat as well?"

Naruto nodded confidently, glancing around the room. "So, how is this one going to work?" he asked, spotting an item to substitute with and subtly making several hand seals as the examiners discussed amongst themselves.

"Well Naruto-san, how would you like to handle it? Obviously one of the examiners of your choice will be throwing an item at you, you just need to decide which." Mizuki explained.

Naruto nodded, "I guess Iruka-sensei can do it. Not that the rest of you are bad or anything."

Iruka chuckled, standing up from his seat, "Alright Naruto, if that's how you want to do it."

Turning around and grabbing a small piece of chalk of the board behind him, Iruka swung his arm around, locking on to Naruto's position. With amazing speed and accuracy, he launched the piece of chalk forward, a small hint of dust exploding off his fingertips as the utensil flew forward towards Naruto's forehead. "That's for falling asleep earlier!" Iruka shouted as the boy's head flew back. "Now get back up and we can finish your exam ne?" the Chunin said, walking over towards the boy and looking down at him. "Hey, Naru- eh?"

Iruka wasn't the only one who was suddenly confused. The boy lying on the floor wasn't Naruto. In fact, it wasn't anyone at all! It was just the class skeleton sitting there in the boy's clothes.

"Man sensei!" Naruto whined from a back corner of the room, "I already told you I was sorry didn't I? It's tough sitting there not doing anything for six and a half hours."

Iruka smiled awkwardly, "I-Is that so…?"

"Well, I think that settles it," Mizuki smiled, having taken over Iruka's job while he was "assisting" Naruto with the last jutsu. "Congratulations Uzumaki-san, you pass."

"Great!" the blonde cheered, snatching one of the crystal clear headbands off the desk. "Finally, no more sitting in classes that I've already taken! I'm a full-fledged shinobi now!"

The examiners smiled at the boy as he bounced up and down, waiting for him to calm down before continuing with their "Congratulations, you've passed!" speech.

"Ahem… Naruto…" Iruka started, not quite getting through to the boy as he continued to cheer, "Naruto… NARUTO!" he roared, utilizing his Epic Scream no Jutsu that many students had come to fear, "Settle down so you can listen to what we have to say."

"Ah, right! Go on Iruka-sensei!" Naruto grinned; nothing was going to stop him now!

"Thank you…" the Chunin sighed, looking apologetically to Mizuki, "Anyway, what Mizuki was going to tell you was that you aren't quite done with the Academy yet." Upon the boy's sudden look of shock Iruka laughed, "No no, you don't have to take any more classes or anything, but you will need to do a few more things before you can call yourself a "full-fledged Shinobi", as you put it." He paused for emphasis, "Tomorrow, you are to report to the Hokage's Mansion to complete your Ninja Registration. Dress well, as you will be taking a photo that will follow you for the rest of your Ninja Career… or at least until you take another photo in three years."

Naruto nodded in understanding, staying silent until Iruka was finished.

"After that is completed, you will report back here at 1200 Monday morning for Team Assignments. After that, you will no longer be reporting to class, but to your Jounin-sensei, who will be assigning their own time schedules for you to follow. Do you understand everything I just said?"

Naruto nodded once more, grinning in anticipation.

"Very well, Uzumaki Naruto, congratulations on your passing. You are dismissed."

"Yahoo!" Naruto cheered as he exited the Academy, bouncing up and down as he looked down at his headband. "Those guys back in the Land of Iron would be proud…. Don't worry guys; I'll definitely become the best ninja ever!"

"Uzumaki-san, please quiet down. Some of us are trying to concentrate."

"Ah?! Shino!" Naruto shouted, pointing at the Aburame in shock, "When the hell did you get here?!"

"I was here the whole time." Shino explained, leaning against a tree as he watched the blonde curiously, "I see you succeeded in gaining your headband, congratulations."

"Yeah. I was about to go over to that ramen stand you and Hinata-san showed me to celebrate!" Naruto laughed, tinkering with his new treasure. "Do you wanna come?"

Shino stared at the Uzumaki for several moments before shaking his head. "Thank you for the offer, but I must decline. I have just located several rare species of bugs that I must document before leaving. Perhaps… another time?"

Naruto shrugged, "Sure. I'm always up for some ramen. See you Shino-san!"

The bug boy nodded once more before turning back to the small ant hill he was protecting. "Yes… he's gone now my pretties…"

-_Konoha: Downtown-_

Naruto sighed as he approached Ichiraku Ramen, the only ramen place worthy of his business in Konoha, if Hinata and Shino's words were anything to go by. Sliding onto one of the circular seats, he rang the tiny bell twice, prompting a young woman with flowing brown hair to rush out with a smile on her face.

"Oh? If it isn't Uzumaki-kun again, is there something I can help you with?"

"Hey there Ayame-san!" Naruto grinned cheekily, "Eh? Where's Teuchi-san? Is he not running the store today?"

Ayame huffed, folding her arms in annoyance as she thought of her father's whereabouts. "Dad's at the Hospital. Something about trying to get something called a DNR done…"

"DNR?" Naruto asked curiously, flipping open the menu idly as he scanned through the numerous ramen types.

"You'd have to ask Dad what it means." Ayame muttered, "Anyway, enough about him! I see someone's got something shiny across their forehead! I take it the exams went well for you?"

"Yeah!" the blonde exclaimed brightly, "You should've seen me Ayame-san! I was amazing! Might've even gotten best grade in the class, not that it matters or anything."

"Oh? And why's that?" Ayame asked, cleaning a bowl for the boy as she listened to his story.

"Well, you know how I told you I only got back here recently right?" Naruto asked, earning a nod from the girl, "Because of that, even if I got a grade infinitely higher than everyone else's, it's still only one grade. So it's not like I'll be Rookie of the Year or anything. But in all honesty, what good is a title like that gonna do me anyway?"

"Well, it'd give you recognition for your achievements in the Academy." Ayame suggested, "Not to mention it might affect how your team placements will go."

"Nah, in the long run a title like that doesn't really scream out at anyone. Naruto Uzumaki: the best out of a bunch of drooling academy students! Who'd want to be remembered like that? Nah, now if I was someone who brought down a terrible missing nin on the other hand… now THAT'S something to be remembered for! Naruto Uzumaki: Ultimate Hunter Nin!"

Ayame frowned, "You're still only a Genin Uzumaki-san; you shouldn't go getting any crazy ideas."

"Hahahahaha! I know that much Ayame-san, it's not like I'm gonna go chasing after S-rank missing Nin when I just graduated! I have to get stronger first. Much stronger! And then…"

"Hm?" Ayame asked for further clarification. "What is it Uzumaki-san?"

Naruto drooled, pointing at an item on the menu, "Say Ayame-san, how much is this Ramen Special?"

The girl face-planted, having expected something a bit more serious than a question about his next meal, "You sure have a one-track mind…"

The blonde simply grinned.

_-Konoha: Hokage's Office-_

"I see. So Naruto-kun has progressed well then." A bearded old man smiled, puffing a cloud of smoke from a small pipe as he read over the boy's files. "It appears as though the seal holds strong as well. We shouldn't have to worry about Kyuubi trying to influence the boy anytime soon."

A similarly aged man nodded in agreement, sighing as he rubbed the back of his spiky white hair, "Yeah, that seal of Minato's sure is a piece of work. Twelve years down the road and I still haven't worked out all the details. He never ceased to amaze me. So, what do you plan to do?"

"Hm… the boy is stable. Reports show that he's even taken to befriending many of his classmates. Not to mention, that Kekkei Genkai of his seems to be very useful in withstanding the brash Yamanaka's fists. Perhaps putting him on a team with the Hyuga and Aburame? He seems to get along with them quite well."

"No, based on what I've seen his abilities aren't suited towards that of a tracking unit. And we both know that recently promoted Jounin of yours has her eyes set on one. The Aburame and Hyuga are a shoe-in."

"Ah yes, I'd thought of giving dear Kurenai Kiba as well." The man thought aloud, looking to his visitor for his thoughts.

"The Inuzuka? While I admit he has promise, Kurenai doesn't seem the type to settle for just one student. Are you sure that's in your best interest? They don't call her the Genjutsu Mistress for nothing you know."

The old man chuckled, setting his pipe to the side as he replied. "My dear boy, they don't call me "The Professor" for nothing either. Besides, if it comes down to it I can always pull rank."

"The boss and his employee huh…?" the younger yet similarly aged man sighed, "And what of the other teams? Have you decided their layouts as well?"

"I've decided to let Iruka have his fun. Of course, I'm always open to suggestions."

"Hm, I'll let your people handle it. They are rather competent when it comes to Team Placements. They were responsible for the first Ino-Shika-Cho trio after all."

"A mere fluke I'm afraid." Sarutobi sighed, "I'm not sure the current generation is up to the task their parents left for them. The personalities are rather conflicting, and I fear young Shikamaru may lack the motivation needed to come through in times of need. I fear it may be for the best that I split them up."

"Your shinobi." The man smiled, "So sensei, about Naruto…"

"He's grown up well, raised away from the village, safe from the wary eyes of the villagers… I almost wonder what would have been if they had been informed…"

"Nothing good would have come of it." The younger man stated firmly, "You made the right choice, keeping it secret."

"Perhaps…" Sarutobi thought whimsically, "Nevertheless, he is fit for duty, a fact I hope you take into consideration before you leave yet again." The elderly man said, leveling a steady gaze upon his "visitor."

"Mmm… I know the extent of his training. But I still think it's too soon for me to make an appearance. Hell, just taking the time to check in on him like I am is pulling me away from the Network, and we both know how important it is that we keep an eye on Orochimaru."

"Even so, he is your godson Jiraiya." The elderly man retorted, "Can you not spare five minutes to introduce yourself?"

"It's still too soon." The man, identified as the legendary Sannin Jiraiya, sighed, "I'll do it soon sensei, by the time of the Chunin Exams. It won't be until then that I should be able to have a firm idea on what our old teammate's plans are. Until that time… please, don't tell him about me."

The old man grunted, "Very well. The Chunin Exams Jiraiya… don't disappoint me."

The Sannin nodded, disappearing into a single leaf.

_-Konoha: Residential District-_

Naruto yawned. It had been a long day, but finally, he could rest. He climbed the stairs leading to his apartment slowly, his body drooped and dangling back and forth as he yawned again. From the looks of it, the boy was already half-asleep. In his state it was a miracle he was even capable of walking up the stairs.

"Miso, Miso, Shoyu, Shoyu, Totototototototo-Tonkatsu Shio Ramen," Naruto giggled, drunk on ramen broth as he swooned towards his door. Reaching for his keys, the boy paused, tilting his head and squinting his eyes towards several fast approaching objects.

"Huh? Isn't that Ami?" the boy asked aloud, watching as the figures grew closer… and closer... "O-Oi… wait a second-!"

"Out of the way hotshot!" Ami shouted, streaking past Naruto with several rookie Chunin on her heels.

"After her!"

"Don't let her get away with the scroll!"

In the confusion Naruto was sent whirling, his body spinning around in circles from the speed of the three's chase. Faced in the direction they left in as he came to a stop, the blonde swooned around momentarily, trying to get a hold of his senses.

"Naruto!" Mizuki shouted as he too approached the blonde at high speed, "Did you see them pass by this way?"

"Eh? Mizuki-sensei? What's going on?" he asked, taking off in a leap after the silver-haired Chunin, realizing that something was wrong.

"That old classmate of yours got it into their head that it would be funny to steal the Scroll of Seals." Mizuki grunted, hiding his true thoughts from the blonde. "Hokage-sama has all available shinobi out looking for her."

"Ami did?" Naruto asked, briefly wondering how the girl managed to get her hands on such a high quality item. Last he'd checked, all high profile ninjutsu scrolls were kept in the hands of the Kage himself! How the hell was he outsmarted by an Academy Student? He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "I saw them go this way sensei!" he told Mizuki, pulling ahead of the man as he chased down the three figures that had passed him earlier.

Mizuki frowned, _"I'd intended for the girl to keep quiet… Now I'll have a few more witnesses to take care of."_

-_Deep in the Forests of Konoha-_

Ami frowned as she leapt through the trees, her two Chunin pursuers close on her heels. "I told you two to back off already! I don't know if this is part of that stupid test, but I'm getting real tired of your faces!"

"Drop the scroll girl!" the Chunin ordered for what would be the third time, once again falling on deaf ears.

It was fairly obvious that Ami had no intention of letting the Scroll of Seals go, a fact that the other Chunin pursuer had seemed to pick up on long ago. Quickly drawing a kunai from his weapon pouch, the man twirled the sharpened tool in his hands for several seconds, taking the time to lock onto Ami's leg.

It would be a flesh wound, but one capable of incapacitating the girl long enough to give him time to secure the Scroll.

"Little brat," the man spat, tossing the kunai with ease and watching it tear through the girl's leg.

Ami's eyes widened in shock. Her body had suddenly begun to convulse, twisting and flailing in pain as she fell forward off her tree branch, disappearing into the leaves below. Her pursuers cursed as they overshot the girl, landing on separate trees just as the girl disappeared, leaving them to locate her current whereabouts.

Down in the bushes Ami lay still despite the pain, knowing that if she made any sudden moves she'd be dead in an instant. The Scroll of Seals was draped safely across her back, thousands of unique techniques hidden within ripe for the girl's taking.

How had it come to this?

Mere hours ago the girl felt like she was on top of the world, ready to Ace the Exam and finally put that foolish Haruno girl in her place. She had followed the instructions, passed the practical, only to find out from the silver-tongued Mizuki that she had only just missed the mark.

Of course, the man was always one to improvise, so when he offered an alternative way to pass, Ami had leapt at the chance. Stealing the scroll had been simple, the Hokage hadn't even been around for her to deal with! She just never expected the situation would end with her getting stabbed with a kunai by one of Konoha's loyal Chunin.

"_God damn it all…"_ the girl thought, clenching her teeth to prevent her from making any unusual sounds, _"This leg of mine is really starting to sting like a bitch!"_

She risked a quick look, tilting her head back ever so slightly to glance towards her pulsing limb. There was blood, but not enough to warrant serious medical attention. Hell, if she'd been able to move Ami expected she'd be able to handle it herself. The kunai had gone through and through, meaning there wouldn't be an issue with natural healing either. All she'd need was a good bandage and some time off and-

"Psst! Ami-san!" Naruto's voice whispered beside her, snapping the girl back into the situation at hand. Zipping her head towards the boy's voice, Ami covered her mouth to prevent a scream.

Naruto was kneeling down right in front of her, an unusual look of confusion etched across his face. How the hell had he found her so easily?! Didn't that mean that those Chunin knew where she was as well?

"U-Uzumaki you bastard… you better not have told anyone where I was!" she hissed, restraining the urge to hit the boy.

"Nah, I wanted to have a quick discussion with you first!" the blonde grinned, peeking over his shoulder towards the clueless Chunin. It was amazing how sloppy rookies could be.

"Hehehe… follow me!" Naruto smiled, wobbling past the girl deeper into the forest.

Ami sighed. She didn't really want to, but between a classmate and those Chunin, she'd take the classmate.

They walked and crawled in silence for some time, neither saying a word as the blonde lead her around like a lost puppy. Little by little Ami could feel the irritation begin to grow within her, bubbling just beneath the surface until she just couldn't take it anymore.

"Alright Uzumaki that's enough!" she shouted as they entered yet another Forest Clearing. "I've been following you around for the past half hour, and my leg still feels like shit! What the hell do you want?!"

"Man Ami-san," the boy whined, turning around to face her, "You should really work on your patience if you wanna be a kunoichi! Oh well, I guess this place will do fine!"

The blonde began to shuffle around in his pockets, pulling out a few spare napkins he'd gotten from Ichiraku. "Here, it's not exactly medical equipment, but it might be able to slow the bleeding for now until you can get something better. I don't think there's too many healing plants in this part of the forest though."

Ami sweatdropped, steadily taking the surprisingly thick bundle of napkins and wrapping them around her leg, "T-Thanks…"

"So, what're you doing with that thing?" Naruto asked, getting straight to the point, "Sensei said that the good old Kage has everyone up and about looking for it!"

"Moron… I was told to retrieve this for a Make-Up test!" Ami snapped proudly, "Mizuki-sensei said that if I managed to take it and learn a single jutsu from it, I'd pass and he'd make me a Genin!"

"Huh? Mizuki-sensei did?" Naruto tilted his head in confusion, "That's strange… Mizuki-sensei was the one who told me you'd gone and stolen the Scroll. I don't think he'd leave out something important like it being for a Make-Up Test!"

Ami's eyes widened, "W-What? What're you talking about Uzumaki?! Are you trying to say Mizuki-sensei lied to me?!"

"Ah… well, I guess it is possible he just forgot but, I don't think a Chunin would easily forget those kinds of things, you know?" the blonde laughed lightly, trying to loosen up some of the tension. "Anyway… I don't really think you should be running around with that thing for too long. It really doesn't look like anyone other than you and Mizuki know this is for a Make-Up Test."

Ami glared at the boy stubbornly, "No way! I've been told to learn a jutsu from this thing and that's what I'm going to do!" she tossed the scroll out in front of her and began to unravel its contents.

At that moment, Naruto darted forward, tackling the girl to the ground.

"Eh?! Uzumaki get the hell off of me!" Ami shrieked, going quiet once she saw the boy's demeanor.

"Oi… that was a strike aimed to kill, Mizuki-sensei." The blonde muttered darkly, his senses zeroing in on the silver-haired Chunin as he walked into view.

Ami blinked in confusion, looking back to where she was moments earlier. Several sharpened kunai were embedded in the ground, prompting her to turn purple in shock. Her sensei had tried to kill her? It couldn't be…

"Ho…? So you picked up on my presence after all," Mizuki smirked, looking down at the pair superiorly. "For a Genin fresh out of the academy you've been trained pretty well, brat."

"S-Sensei… what's going on?" Ami asked, feeling more and more uncomfortable as time went on. What was with that look on Mizuki's face? Was he really the one who had thrown those kunai? It had to be some kind of trick!

"Why did you tell Ami-san that you were giving her a Make-Up Exam?" Naruto asked instead, drawing Mizuki's attention away from the girl. "You told me during my Exam that all Grades given were final unless the student opted out early."

"Hmph," the Chunin flipped his hair, "I suppose I did overlook that small detail, the girl fell for my trick regardless. Now give me the Scroll boy! I'll not have you get in the way of my plan, not when I'm so close to achieving my goals!"

"The Scroll of Seals. You couldn't get it yourself so you had an Academy Student do it for you?" Naruto asked blankly, "What kind of sense does that make…?" _"Should I stall for time…? I don't know anything about this guy!"_

"I wouldn't expect someone young as you to understand." Mizuki explained, "And I certainly won't explain myself to someone beneath me." He pulled the large shuriken off his back, holding it threateningly towards the pair. "Now I'll say it once more. Hand me the Scroll!"

"No way!" Naruto said blatantly, crossing his arms in frustration, "Even if I did give you the Scroll, I'm not stupid enough to not think you'll just let us leave here alive! Besides!" he pointed at the man, appearing far more confident than he felt, "If you had to depend on someone like _Ami_ to do your dirty work, what does that say about you?!"

Mizuki and Ami face-planted at this, both feeling the sudden urge to throttle the blonde.

Naruto grinned and heaved the Scroll onto his back.

"Come on sensei, you can't be that weak right? Then again… with that giant shuriken of yours I suppose you _have_ to be compensating for something."

"Narrrrutoooo!" Mizuki snarled, pulling back his throwing arm and heaving the great shuriken forward.

The blonde grinned, leaping into the trees as Mizuki followed after him.

Ami blinked several times as she watched them go, suddenly feeling forgotten.

"_Great! All that talking actually managed to rile him up a bit!"_ Naruto thought; sweat slowly beginning to pool down his forehead as Mizuki closed the distance between them, _"Now I just need to figure out how to get rid of him!"_

"You little twit! I'll teach you to insult me!"

"Crap, he caught up!"

The Chunin snarled, kicking Naruto in the stomach and sending him spiraling into a tree branch that broke upon impact. Naruto winced in pain as he fell to the forest floor, quickly regaining his composure as he turned to face Mizuki again. The Chunin was already in a follow-up motion, his fist flying towards Naruto leaving the boy little time to act.

Ducking down the blonde grabbed Mizuki by the wrist, attempting to flip him only to be tripped my Mizuki's left foot. Rolling away just as the traitorous Chunin attempted to Axe-kick him, Naruto made a hand seal, attempting to get a jutsu off before Mizuki could catch him again.

"Iron Release: Steel-!"

Naruto was cut off, Mizuki having kneed the blonde in his gut before elbowing him back into the ground.

"Fool, you really thought you could go against a Chunin single-handedly?"

Naruto smiled, "Ehehehe… nope! I'm just the distraction!"

Mizuki blinked in confusion, only to widen his eyes in surprise as the Naruto in front of him began to melt into a gray-like substance. "A clone-? But what kind?!"

"Yah!" Naruto shouted, punching Mizuki in the face as he leapt out from the trees above. Shifting through several hand seals as Mizuki crashed into the fluid, Naruto slammed his palm to the ground.

"Iron Style: Prison Bar!" Naruto shouted; a strand of chakra running through the dirt until it collided with the same gray substance his clone had dispersed into, thin layer bars erupting from its being and wrapping around Mizuki's limbs, binding them in place as Naruto leapt into the air once again.

"Can't… move!" Mizuki grunted, glaring upwards as Naruto grinned, performing a single seal as his body became a metallic gray.

Slamming into Mizuki's gut with the weight of a full bodied iron statue, Naruto leaned back, narrowly avoiding the blood that flew from the Chunin's lips as he passed out unconscious.

"Man, he was weaker than I thought." Naruto grinned, satisfied with the outcome of the match.

Sitting down in front of the body, Naruto rolled out the Scroll before him. Within it were jutsu deemed forbidden by the Kage themselves, and he was sure that there would be a few secrets worth learning inside. The question was: would he read them?

He thought long and hard over the situation. He knew that lots of people would pay good money for the information that was on the Scroll; hell, that was probably why Mizuki had gone traitor in an attempt to retrieve it in the first place. But Naruto had no need of money, and even if he did, he would find a more honest way of making it than stealing from his own village. Knowledge too was something that could be gained, but many of the jutsu on the scroll would be forbidden techniques, and as such, require a great deal of concentration and precise timing to utilize correctly. It just wasn't his style.

"Man, why do people always have to be so frustrating…" the boy grumbled, lifting the scroll up in thought as he prepared to return it.

The sound of an old, wizened laugh called Naruto to attention. "I think the same thing to myself all the time." Sarutobi chuckled as he strolled into view, "Taking the time to gaze upon some of our greatest successes I see."

"You are… ah! Hokage-sama!" Naruto shouted in surprise, turning quickly to face the man respectfully.

"At ease Naruto-kun," the man laughed, stopping only once he gazed upon the drooling, unconscious traitor. "I see you've dealt with Mizuki."

"Eh? Ah, yeah. He wasn't all that hard to handle… but it could have been bad if I hadn't used a clone to begin with." Naruto admitted sheepishly.

"A ninja looks beneath the underneath…." The old man laughed. "I see. Mizuki always was one of our less promising Chunin. It is a shame he ended up in such a way. It makes me wonder…"

"Huh?"

Sarutobi smiled, "No. It is nothing my boy, merely an old man reminiscing on old times."

"Oh. So what's gonna happen to Mizuki?" Naruto asked, looking back towards the unconscious Chunin curiously.

Sarutobi sighed, "He will be sent to the Blood Prison, where he will remain for the rest of his days I'm afraid. That is, of course, after our very own interrogators have had their way with him. They don't take kindly to traitors."

Naruto nodded as he thought through the Kage's words. If they were anything to go by it seemed like this would be the last time he'd be seeing Mizuki. It was for the best he supposed. "And… what about Ami?"

"She will be retried, of course." Hiruzen chuckled, "One can hardly place her at fault. After all, if one cannot trust their teacher, then who can they trust? Seeing as Mizuki has been proven a traitor, her test scores shall be reevaluated, and she will be allowed to try one more time."

"I see." Naruto mused. "Well, that sounds fair enough. She did manage to get this supposedly protected scroll, if nothing else."

"Come Naruto-kun," Sarutobi chuckled, eager to remove the boy from the scene as he sensed several ANBU near the area, "you can tell me of how your own exam went."

"But then who's going to take care of-" he paused; watching as Konoha's finest surrounded the unconscious body in a flash. "Oh, Alright then."

He turned, giving the body one last look before following behind the Kage, headed for more populated areas. It wouldn't be until later that night that Naruto realized what they'd forgotten.

He left Ami back in the forest.

-Chapter Two: END-

**With Mizuki defeated and Naruto's first day as a "Genin" coming to a close, things are looking pretty good for the Uzumaki child! But with Team Placements just around the corner, Naruto has to ask: Who will he be partnered with? Find out, next time on Naruto: Iron Path!**


	3. An Impossible Victory! A Jounin Appears!

**Man, finding young side characters who were Naruto's age is more annoying than I thought. I ended up having to dig through old filler and manga (read: Narutopedia) for some names of Academy Students during Naruto's time to use for Ami's teammates, but don't expect them to show up often. Now then, without further ado… onward, to Chapter 3!**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**An Impossible Victory! The Jounin Appears!**

* * *

It was a perfect day.

The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and children were happily playing Ninja in the streets.

Yes, it was a perfect day, for all but a few.

Those who had passed the Genin Exam were currently gathered in Iruka's classroom for the final time, quietly conversing and holding conversations with their peers for what might be the final time.

Naruto sighed. Of all the days to have Team Placements… why did it have to be the one that he'd rather be outside on?

The blonde furrowed his brow, glancing around the room at all the fellow graduates. Many of them he recognized from his short time as a student, of course, that wasn't to say there weren't a few faces he didn't recognize among the crowd. Still, the sheer number of graduates proved that the academy's Genin Exam wasn't anything to get all that worked up about. Hell, Naruto could tell that just about all his class was there, with the exception of one, scarcely missed kunoichi.

"Ami?" the Haruno girl glared, "What the hell are _you_ doing here? This place is only for Official Konoha Genin you know?!"

The purple-haired bully smirked, pointing arrogantly at her forehead, causing Sakura's jaw to drop. "Yeah, you see this Forehead? What does it look like? That's right, a Regulation Headband, proof of my being a graduated Genin!"

Naruto blinked. So the girl managed to pass somehow after all. Good on her.

"U-Um, N-Naruto-san, d-do you m-mind if I s-sit here?" Hinata asked shyly, grabbing the blonde's attention away from the quickly escalating scene.

"Huh? Oh yeah! Go right ahead Hinata!" the boy grinned, scooting over so the girl could get passed him to her seat. "Aren't you excited?! We're finally gonna be put on teams! I can't wait to see what my Jounin-sensei is gonna be like!"

"R-Right…" the girl whispered; pushing her fingers together as she always did, "I-Is there a-anyone you're h-hoping to b-be on a team w-with?"

"Not really." Naruto laughed, leaning back in his chair, "I mean, while it would be fun to be on a team with some friends, I have to think realistically. If anything they'd be putting teams together based on those with abilities that complement each other."

"Agreed." Shino cut in, surprising the pair as he was sitting right beside them inconspicuously, "I am expecting my skills to be put to use as a tracker."

"Gah! Shino!" Naruto shouted in surprise, "You gotta stop sneaking up on me like that! You'll give me a heart attack!"

Shino adjusted his shades calmly, "Perhaps you should be more aware of your surroundings, Uzumaki-san. We are shinobi after all."

"Well, I guess that much is true…" Naruto sweatdropped. "Anyway Hinata, you have that Byakugan right? So odds are you'll be put on a tracking team with someone like Shino. I don't know who a third member could be though, someone like Kiba maybe…?"

"O-Oh… I-I see…" the girl nodded in understanding, "S-So what do y-you think y-your team w-will be suited f-for?"

Naruto shrugged, "I don't know… an assault group maybe? I can't really think of what else someone with my particular skillset would be good for…. Heh, making iron… I might just be thrown in with some aspiring blacksmith."

"T-That's n-not true…! I-I'm sure y-you could b-be whatever y-you wanted N-Naruto-san!" Hinata squeaked.

"Having the skillset is only half the battle." Shino said wisely, attempting to agree in his own way.

"Maybe you're right Shino," Naruto grinned, "but like I said before, I may end up being part of a group geared for frontal assaults. That being said, I could be wrong. We'll just have to wait to wait and see what happens!"

"Heh, Uzumaki, maybe you'll do us a favor and get stuck with some of the fangirls." Kiba grinned, throwing his own two cents into the conversation. "Take a hit for the rest of us eh?"

"The fangirls? Oh, you mean Sasuke's cheerleaders? I'd rather not." Naruto denied, "Besides, even if I did want to it's not like it's up to me! Iruka-sensei is the one who's deciding who's on what team! And even those decisions usually come from someone higher than him, right?"

His words seemed to have drawn in some attention from other nearby Genin, and they too began to join in.

"Not that it matters," Ami huffed, announcing her presence to all the room now that she was done bickering with Sakura, "I don't care what you all say, the fact remains that _I'll _be the one getting on a team with Sasuke-kun!"

At this several other members of the Uchiha's fan club jumped up, all of them furiously proclaiming their own destiny in joining Sasuke on a team.

"_Idiots…"_ Sasuke thought, glaring at the girls through steely eyes.

Naruto frowned, tilting his head back to look at the arguing girls, "Mah… Sasuke is really that popular huh?" he smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head, "I'm kind of jealous."

"What? Of the Uchiha?!" Kiba barked, "I never get why all the girls are always trying to get his attention, there's nothing special about him! And I'll prove it right now!"

Kiba stood from his desk, ignoring Akamaru's whines as he leapt across the table onto Sasuke's desk. The two boys glared at each other for several moments.

The fan girls paused in their arguing to turn around and snap at the rough Inuzuka.

"Kiba what the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Get the hell away from Sasuke you mutt!"

These comments only served to make the boy angrier, making him glare at the Uchiha stronger than before. "Why the hell are all the women in this class so obsessed with you Sasuke?!" he hissed, earning a small twitch in the boy's eyes.

"Why should I know? If I did, don't you think I would have dealt with already so they'd stop annoying me?" Sasuke's cool response came swiftly, "Now get off my desk Inuzuka, before I make you."

Kiba's eyes widened, and he grabbed the boy by the collar, "What was that last part Sasuke?!"

"**Enough!"** Iruka's voice came from the door, prompting Kiba to fall back, dropping Sasuke back in his seat.

"I've heard enough arguing. Everyone, get back to your seats!" Iruka glared when no one moved. It seemed as though everyone was still frozen in shock from his sudden appearance. **"I said move!"** he shouted, utilizing the efficient Big Head no Jutsu to get the reaction he wanted.

The students began to scramble about in one fluid motion, and within seconds they were all back in their seats, gazing fearfully at the man they once called their teacher. Running a hand through his hair Iruka sighed. Why did teaching have to be so stressful at times? Checking the files in his hands one last time, he walked through the classroom towards his desk.

He set the files down in front of him gently, and offered the students one of his amused but kind smiles. "Well then, it looks like this will be our last meeting as a class."

The Genin were silent, waiting for Iruka to finish his speech before daring to speak.

"As you all know, today I will be assigning you to your Jounin-sensei. In order for you to get an idea on just how the process works, I've been informed to let you know just what the teams are composed of, in regards to shinobi - kunoichi ratio and just what teams the Hokage was looking to create this time around."

Naruto set palm beneath his chin, listening to Iruka studiously as he examined the room. _"I wonder whose team I'll be put on… Shikamaru-san is lazy, but if that exercise in the forest taught me anything it's that he's really smart when it comes to strategy. Even so, I could see his lack of motivation annoying his teammates… That being said, he's still someone I'd definitely want to have on my side, but I don't really see him on a team full of assault types… Now Choji on the other hand… I haven't really interacted with him all that much, but Shino told me the Akimichi are pretty much built to be fighters! I wonder what the chubby guy can really do…'_

Naruto paused in his thought process, noticing Choji suddenly look at him with a burly gaze. The blonde sweatdropped, having heard from a brief discussion with Sakura that the boy had an issue with being called anything related to the word fat. _"It's not like he heard me right? It was just in my head for Kami's sake!"_

The boy glared at Naruto for several more seconds, before slowly turning his head and grabbing another chip.

"_A-Anyway…"_ the blonde sighed, _"Where was I? Oh right! I was just wondering about teammates, I think I was going to be on… that's right! Yamanaka-san! She's like a harpy, but that thing she did to Hinata was cool as hell! It has lots of practical uses too, and I bet it'd be great for interrogative purposes! But just like with Shikamaru, I don't see her being used for an assault group. Man… now that I think about it, all the cool people are probably going to be something other than Assault, other than that Sasuke guy. He's cold, but he's talented enough to get away with that attitude amongst his peers. He may be in a shock if he tries to pull it on anyone more talented than him though. Heh, I bet if one of those fan girls had a few days alone with him he'd lighten up. Wait, what?"_

"N-Naruto-san…" Hinata whispered, "N-Naruto-san…!"

Naruto's hand dropped, snapping him back to attention as his head nearly fell on the desk, "E-Eh? What is it Hinata?" the blonde whispered back.

"O-Oh… w-well, you l-looked l-like you w-were d-daydreaming… a-and I-Iruka-sensei is a-already halfway t-through naming the t-teams…"

"Oh… I got it, thanks a lot Hinata!" Naruto grinned, subtly giving the girl a thumbs up.

Hinata smiled, poking her fingers together as she always did, "I-It was n-nothing…."

"…Team Six is Ami, Hibachi, and Koji." Iruka called out, naming off the same three students that had tried to defeat Naruto in the forest a few days prior.

"Damn it…" Ami's fodder would-be bodyguards sighed in unison. "And I thought we'd finally gotten away from her…"

"What the hell?!" Ami shouted, making to stand, "Iruka-sensei, this can't be right! I'm supposed to be on a team with Sasuke-kun!"

Iruka sweatdropped. There was always one… "The Hokage is the one who designed these teams Ami; if you have a problem with your assignment you are welcome to take it up with him."

"_Of course,"_ he thought, _"He only approved them after I meddled with them a bit. Still, the final decision was his…"_

The class turned to look at the girl. Take it up with the Hokage? As if a Genin would really be able to.

Ami gulped upon hearing Iruka's words, suddenly feeling much more subdued than she was five minutes ago. She nodded her head softly, before sitting back down in her seat.

"_Moron…"_ Ino and Sakura thought in unison, _"It's obvious that… __**I'll**__ be the one on Sasuke's team!"_

"Now then, if there are no more complaints from Team 6…" he glanced at the other two members before smiling, "you will be meeting your sensei at Training Ground 66."

Ami sighed, dropping her head in despair. "Damn it… Sasuke-kun…"

Iruka shook his head at the girl and moved on, "Team 7 is composed of members Sakura Haruno, Kiba Inuzuka, and Sasuke Uchiha."

Kiba's eyes widened and he made to stand before Akamaru's bark reminded him of the situation. Slamming his hand to the desk in frustration, the boy glared at the Uchiha, receiving on in turn. Sakura on the other hand was busy squealing delight, sending a smirk at Ino and a thumbs up.

"_Looks like I win Ino-pig! True love conquers all!"_

Ino glared at the pink haired girl. _"You may have won the battle Forehead, but I'll win the war!"_

"Your Jounin-sensei will meet you in the class at his desired time…" Iruka sighed, "He has a habit of being late, so I suggest you make yourselves comfortable."

Sasuke's eye twitched.

"Ahem, moving on…" Iruka started, scanning the document, "Team 8 will be composed of members Choji Akimichi, Hinata Hyuga, and Shikamaru Nara. Your Jounin Sensei will be meeting you at Training Ground 36."

Shikamaru looked up, as if confused about the sudden turn of events. First Choji, and now him? He glanced over at Hinata, shrugged, and set his head back down on the desk. Naruto supposed that the boy was thinking everything was far too troublesome, and quite frankly, he had to agree. There were only three people left, and while one of them Naruto was happy to call friend, the other was a bit more… physical than he liked.

"As you all know there's a certain taboo about Team 9, so Team 10 will be composed of members Shino Aburame, Naruto Uzumaki, and Ino Yamanaka."

Naruto quickly examined the room, eager to see how his two new teammates took the news. Shino was stoic as always, but Ino looked a bit put out. Still, the girl wasn't glaring at him, so Naruto assumed there was hope yet.

"Your Jounin sensei will be meeting you here shortly, so just sit tight." Iruka smiled, setting the documents aside now that he was finished, "I'd like to say it was an honor teaching you all, and I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors."

The class smiled, many of them imagining their future successes as shinobi.

"Now, I'd like you all to take some time to get to know your teammates beyond what you know as their classmates. It's almost time for our lunch break, so I'll have you eat with your teammates so you can get accustomed to each other." Iruka looked at the clock and nodded, "I think that's all I have left, so if you guys are ready to eat…"

Many of the students nodded furiously, Sakura slightly more than the others. It was obvious the girl was intent on getting close to Sasuke as soon as possible.

Iruka smiled, "Alright then. You're dismissed!"

_-Academy Roof-_

Ino smiled as she cracked open her bento, looking over at her two new teammates curiously. The Aburame and Uzumaki huh…? Bugs and Iron, and coupled with her own mind-walking abilities, they made for quite the unique team.

"Mah, so much for being on an assault team." Naruto laughed, "But you two won't be so bad, as long as you don't hit me anyway…" he glowered at Ino accusingly.

Ino glared back at the boy for several moments, "You deserved it! Leaving my helpless, unguarded body in the forest utterly defenseless… what the hell were you thinking?! Don't you even _think_ about doing that again, or I swear I'll beat you to a bloody pulp! Got it?!"

"Really, it only happened once." Naruto shrugged, "But I guess I can agree to that. I won't leave you in the forest again, Yamanaka-san."

The Aburame merely sat quietly, silently chewing on his own meal as he watched his two teammates bicker. If one looked closely they would see a small trickle of sweat bead down his forehead, but those of the Aburame Clan were so controlled that not even an experienced Jounin would be able to tell.

"Anyway," Ino said brightly, returning to her cheerful demeanor, "we're now members of the same team, and that means that everything will be fine as long as you do what I say got it?"

Again, Naruto sighed. So the blonde intended to make herself boss? Fine, he could play along, but he hoped he didn't expect her to follow _any_ ridiculous command she gave him. It wasn't like she was truly his superior after all.

He nodded once, deciding not to get in another argument with the girl just yet.

"Good! Now then, it looks like Forehead somehow managed to get on a team with Sasuke-kun, but that's not going to deter me at all! I'll show her who'll win out in the end!"

"You and Sakura really have a fierce rivalry huh?" Naruto asked.

"Of course we do! Forehead thinks she can just swoop in and steal Sasuke from me?! We'll see!" the blonde huffed, crossing her arms.

Shino paused, setting his bento to the side and looking at Ino calmly, "I believe you're leaving out the beginning Yamanaka-san. You and Haruno-san were not always at each other's throats. In fact, at one point one might call you the greatest of friends."

"Those two were friends at some point?" Naruto asked curiously, receiving a steady nod from Shino in return.

"Indeed. If I remember correctly it was because they both discovered they liked the same person that their falling out occurred."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise before he turned to Ino in disappointment. "Man, you two crushed a blooming relationship because of a guy? That's pretty messed up."

Ino clenched her teeth in anger as her fingers tightened against her bento. Of course it was messed up, but it hadn't been her decision to break off the friendship in the first place! Still, Naruto needed to learn a little something about tact, and so-!

"Naruto you idiot!" she snarled, whacking the boy and sending him spiraling into the ground, "Don't talk about things you don't know about! Besides, what happened between me and Sakura is between me and Sakura, got it?!"

"_Sakura and I."_ Shino corrected mentally as he watched the pair.

Naruto's soul nodded quickly as it hovered above the blonde's body, a pair of ghostly eyes staring at the Yamanaka girl in shock.

"Y-Yes ma'am." His lifeless body sighed out at the girl, earning a curt nod in approval.

Shino sipped his drink as he watched the proceedings, "You should take care not to wake a sleeping dragon Uzumaki-san. In actuality, you should have realized speaking of Haruno-san in Yamanaka-san's presence would only serve to infuriate her."

Naruto grumbled, crawling back to his chosen seat before glaring at Shino. "You're the one who went into such detail about it in the first place." he complained.

Shino didn't reply.

Ino on the other hand huffed, slowly returning to her own seated position before looking at her two teammates, "Now, if we're all done being stupid…" she traded glances between the two boys, "Iruka-sensei recommended we should get to know each other better. Naruto, you're the newest one here so why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?" she asked with a forceful smile.

Naruto snapped to attention, turning to Ino and holding back a scathing remark about being hypocritical. Instead, he opted to sigh.

"Don't have too much to say outside of what I said the day I joined the class." Naruto mumbled, ruffling his hair in thought, "I was born in Konoha, was moved out to the Land of Iron on the Hokage's orders, lived there for a few years and then came back when they deemed I was fit to be a shinobi. To be honest though, when I found out I was coming here I was a bit surprised. The Clan Head didn't really give me any forewarning, and I didn't even know I was expected to come back in the first place. It really took me a while to catch up on Konoha's history, in the little time I had."

"But why would Hokage-sama send you out to the Land of Iron in the first place? Why couldn't you just learn to be a shinobi here like the rest of us?" Ino asked.

"I dunno." The blonde shrugged, "He said that it was something along the lines of an issue with my Kekkei Genkai, but he couldn't tell me more until I became a Chunin…. That's why I'm gonna do my best, and reach the highest rank possible in the shortest amount of time!"

Shino looked to Naruto curiously, "I must admit I am rather curious about your predicament as well. It is not often that the Hokage takes interest in a single shinobi… at least not one your age."

"Oooh!" Ino cut in, smiling and leaning in to get a good look at the blonde, "Maybe he's the rejected son of some kind of royalty, or maybe the heir to a group of Missing Nin, or maybe even, the child of one of the Hokages! Now that would be something wouldn't it?" she laughed, slapping Naruto on the back, "Yeah right! There's no way that could be possible. I mean, have you seen the Kages in their youth? All of them are so… well, hot! And no offense Naruto, but you aren't exactly what I'd call a stud."

Ino's statements only caused the boy to grumble more, dusting off his dirtied clothes as he glared at the girl, "Whatever. I did what you asked, now how about you tell us something Yamanaka-san?"

The Yamanaka grinned, "Okay, you already know I'm of the Yamanaka Clan, and we specialize in Mind related techniques. Most of them allow us to affect or control our target in some way, shape or form, but as Naruto knows…" she paused to glare at the boy, "many of them leave us completely defenseless. That's why we're usually reliant on our teammates to watch over us while we're "gone", and I hope I can trust you two not to ditch me in a forest."

Naruto scratched his head, chuckling softly as he remembered the occasion, "I really am sorry about that you know. It's just… Ami showed up and…"

"Whatever!" Ino shouted, eager to move on to another subject, "Shino, it's your turn."

"Very well." The boy said calmly, adjusting his shades, "I am Shino Aburame, a member of the prestigious Aburame Clan. Many of Konoha tend to stay away of us due to our close relationship with bugs, but I severely hope that will not be the case with this team. Just because we work with bugs does not mean we should be ignored, and it might be painful for us if our classmates run off to have fun while we are left alone… forgotten… as if we don't even exist…"

Naruto and Ino sweatdropped in unison, staring at Shino quietly. _"Wow… someone's bitter."_ They both thought, Ino quickly raising her hands to interrupt.

"O-Okay Shino we've got it. We'll definitely include you in everything okay?" the girl asked, earning a short, curt nod from the boy.

"I understand. I look forward to our future missions."

"Man Shino, you must've had it rough if you can complain about it so easily…" Naruto deadpanned.

"It is as you say. During my years in the Academy I was ignored by Yamanaka-san and many others, left alone to do as I pleased with my hive."

"Your hive?" Ino asked curiously, never really involving herself with the Aburame enough to learn how their jutsu worked.

"Indeed, at birth, we are used as living nests to cultivate and breed insects, eventually ending with us adopting a symbiotic relationship with those that live within."

Naruto and Ino gagged at the thought. "I… I see." Naruto said, quickly attempting to regain his demeanor.

Shino seemed to notice this, and quickly adjusted his glasses once more. "That is all."

"Then it would seem I am right on time." A voice called from the roof entry, drawing the three Genin's attention.

A young woman with wild, untamed hair stood before them, dressed in red mesh armor with a thorn-themed dress covering the rest of her body. Her eyes shone a brilliant red, revealing a strong, proud woman beneath the thin, well-built body she was born with.

Naruto was the first to recover from the woman's sudden appearance, glancing at the woman curiously as he made to stand. "Uh, and who are you exactly?"

The woman retained a calm, collected demeanor as she turned to look at the first of her blonde subordinates. Smiling slightly, she walked towards him, keeping her awareness focused on all three as she opened her mouth to speak.

"My name is Kurenai Yuhi, and I will be your Jounin Instructor."

Ino's eyes widened, "You're our Jounin-sensei? But I thought you were supposed to meet us after lunch back in Iruka-sensei's class?!"

Kurenai shook her head, the same smile pressed on her face as she turned to the girl to respond. "While that was the original idea, I decided that it would be beneficial to learn as much about my potential students as quickly as possible. Hokage-sama agreed to my suggestion, and so, here I am."

"That's cool and all," Naruto interrupted, "but wait a second. Why're you calling us your _potential_ students? Aren't you already our Jounin-sensei?"

"Hey, now that you mention it this idiot's right!" Ino spoke up after listening to Naruto's thoughts, "We passed the Genin Exam fair and square! Don't try and cheat your way out of teaching us!"

Kurenai laughed. "Cheat my way out of teaching you? I see. Well, since you're already asking questions about it I suppose it won't be a problem if I go ahead and tell you."

"Tell us what exactly?" Shino asked, drawing the woman's attention for the first time.

"I'll put it simply to avoid any confusion." Kurenai started while she closed the distance to her assigned team, "The Genin Exam you passed to get this far… well, think of it as a preliminary. A first stage of the real Exam, if you will. I take it you all noticed just how many Graduates there were. And come to think of it, you all really only had contact with those in your class. On an average, how many initial Graduates do you think there are?"

The three young Genin paused, all of them trying to deduce just how many students graduated from the Academy each year.

"That doesn't make sense." Shino said in his monotone voice, drawing his two teammates' attention.

"Huh? Did you figure something out Shino?" Naruto asked right before Ino could.

"I believe so. Living in a Ninja Clan I see many people come and go. But when I think about how many young shinobi I see compared to how many Aburame graduate each year… it becomes easy to see that whatever numbers I come up with won't add up. In fact, on average, I could estimate that only five or six Aburame in my Clan are still seen wearing their headbands a month after Graduation."

Kurenai smiled, "And do you have any idea as to why that is?"

Shino paused once again, giving his other teammates a chance to think about it.

"You said that we should think of the Graduation Exam as a first stage right sensei?" Ino asked, "So that has to mean that a majority of the students who graduate don't make it through the second stage."

"That would be correct Yamanaka-san. To be more specific, it could be said that sixty six percent of all graduates fail this second portion of the exam."

Ino's eyes bulged, "A-A sixty six percent chance of failure?! There's no way anyone could do well with those kinds of odds!"

A few beads of sweat began to pool down the back of Shino's neck, but he made no particular statement regarding the sudden tension he felt descending upon him.

"_Sixty six percent…"_ Naruto thought, a small frown making its way across his face, _"That means that only about nine students from our particular class segment will become Genin. Darn it…. I'd prefer better odds but I guess this is how things are done in Konoha, still…"_

Ino turned to glare at her fellow blonde, shocked at his sudden silence, "Aren't you upset about this too Naruto?! Even Shino's sweating!"

"Well… I won't say I'm not shocked or anything but… you have to remember Ino, a sixty six percent chance of failure still means we have a thirty four percent chance of success!" Naruto grinned, "As long as there's even a single opportunity to come out victorious, all you can do is go for it, right?!"

Kurenai looked down towards Naruto calmly. "An optimistic one I take it? Naruto Uzumaki, I look forward to seeing how well you stand up to Konoha's standards."

The blonde laughed, ignoring the sharp glare from Ino and chirping sensation coming from Shino's side of the roof. "Right, sensei…"

"We still haven't dealt with the actual problem though!" Ino cut in, turning her glare on the Jounin, "You said that we'll have to participate in this second stage to be Genin right?! What kind of obstacle are we looking at here?! A test, some kind of practical?"

Kurenai laughed softly at the girl's eagerness, "I actually haven't told you anything about the second part have I? Very well. I will be testing you three to see if you all have what it takes to become ninja. Of course, whatever obstacles you encounter will be entirely up to me. But for now I think I'll settle for having the three of you sleep."

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, "Sleep? Hold on, sensei-!"

It happened before any of them could do anything to stop it. Kurenai's hands moved in a quick, fluid motion, forming several indiscernible seals that were required for her technique to work. A rain of falling feathers seemed to cover the area around the roof, and before they knew what had happened, the three young members of Team Ten felt their eyes drooping, right before they collapsed into a deep, dark sleep.

_-Konoha Training Grounds: Unknown Location-_

"Na…to…!"

"…ru…to!"

"Naruto wake up you moron!" Ino shouted, punching the boy atop the head with an angry fist.

The blonde spiraled awake, shooting up from his reclined position to deal with the imminent threat. "What the hell?! Oh, it's you Ino…" the boy yawned, "What happened… the last thing I remember is Kurenai-sensei… oh."

He trailed off, having recognized the technique for what is was.

Genjutsu.

Arching his back to stretch as he climbed up to his feet, Naruto glanced around his surroundings, attempting to gain a feel for where they were. He recognized many of the trees as familiar Konoha territory, but an exact location was out of the question at the moment.

He yawned, "What happened to Kurenai-sensei and Shino?"

Ino frowned, "I don't know where Kurenai-sensei is. To be honest I only woke up a few minutes before you did. As for Shino…" she turned her head, shivering at the sight of the sleeping boy beside them. "I'd wake him up but he has all those bugs…"

"Of course…" Naruto deadpanned, moving to the sleeping Aburame and shaking him softly. "Oi, Shino, wake up. We need to pass this thing for Kurenai-sensei to acknowledge us as real Genin."

"Of course." Shino replied, adjusting his shades before similarly climbing to his feet. "It would seem that Kurenai-sensei has a specialty for Genjutsu. It is rare that one manages to incapacitate all of my bugs."

"Well she is a Jounin." Ino mumbled, still feeling a bit drowsy from the effects of Kurenai's technique.

"Well the good news is we're still in Konoha." Naruto explained, "Not sure exactly where though. Obviously a training field of some sort…"

Ino huffed, "That doesn't help us at all! There are tons of Training Fields in Konoha. Besides, I'm more worried about where sensei is. She managed to throw us all under that Genjutsu so easily…"

"I agree with Ino's point. We need to find and defeat Kurenai-sensei if we are to maintain our Genin status." Shino opened his arms and a small swarm of bugs began to disperse from his clothing. "I will send out my bugs to see if they cannot verify her general location. It should only take a few moments for them to discern our location."

Ino turned green as Naruto watched the bugs fly out in awe.

"Ah… that's so cool Shino!" Naruto grinned, "Even though your bugs are creepy, that ability is gonna be a big help!"

Shino adjusted his shades and nodded, "Of course. My Clan is well known for its tracking abilities. Kurenai-sensei's location will be revealed shortly."

"Great! Then we can pass whatever test she's giving us and become full-fledged Genin!" the blonde exclaimed.

"That's a good idea and all…" a voice mused from behind them, "But what if I'm already among you?"

The three Genin turned in unison, their eyes widening in horror as Kurenai's leg flew toward Shino in an arc, sending the boy spiraling into the dirt. The Jounin lowered her leg slowly, assuming a light-hearted stance as she spoke to her potential students.

"Lesson One, Taijutsu."

"Shino!" Naruto shouted, landing beside the boy with Ino as they knelt down to check on him. "You alright?!"

The Aburame frowned, steadily adjusting his shades as he slowly crawled back to his feet.

"I'm fine." He assured them, "We should keep our attention focused on Kurenai-sensei."

"Indeed," the woman called out to them from her location, still not making a move toward either of the others. "You three should come at me with the intent to kill."

"Intent to kill?" Naruo grinned, "Alright… I'll take you out in a single go!"

He spread his arms out swiftly, activating his Steel Skin technique before rushing at Kurenai head-on. Ino reached out after him, calling his name in surprise.

"Naruto, wait!"

No can do.

His fist swung out toward Kurenai's center, and the woman's eyes narrowed in amusement. She raised her own arms to defend herself, slapping the top of Naruto's fist down to deflect the first attack before swinging her knee upward to catch the boy in the chin. The blonde's head shot back in pain.

A direct hit.

Still, Kurenai didn't expect him to go down with that one hit. It wasn't like she put all that much force in it after all.

Quickly, the boy flipped backwards, his feet skidding across the dirt as he readied himself for a second assault.

"Not done yet…!" he snapped, snatching a kunai from his pouch and tossing it at the woman as he chased her down a second time.

Kurenai quickly threw herself to the side, out of the kunai's path, only to come face to face with Naruto yet again. His fist flew towards her face, and she smiled.

"_I can see how he was able to take down someone like Mizuki."_ She thought, noting his form was decent, with less holes than expected for a Genin, _"Still, he was only a Chunin, and a subpar one at that."_ Her eyes gleamed as she ducked down, avoiding the blow as she spun around to knock the boy off his feet, _"Don't put me on the same level as that traitor."_

"Wha-?" Naruto asked, his legs being knocked out from under him just as Kurenai kicked him in the stomach just as she did Shino.

He was sent rolling away from her. But he wasn't the only one going on the offensive.

Just as Naruto was sent rolling, Shino leapt into the fray, leaping forth from a nearby tree branch and attempting to kick the woman from behind.

Of course, Kurenai knew he was coming. She swung her free hand out swiftly, catching the boy by the ankle and spinning him to the side, throwing him nonchalantly towards Naruto.

They collided just as the blonde was about to get back to his feet, sending them both sprawling back to the ground in pain.

"That's two," she muttered, turning to face the other female member of the team.

"Those idiots…!" Ino hissed, quickly forming the seal needed for her Mind Transfer Jutsu, "I told them to wait! Shintenshin no Jutsu!"

The Mind Transfer Jutsu. Kurenai knew full well what it did. She'd seen Inoichi use it often whenever they were partnered up for a mission. A worthwhile technique that stripped all control of one's body from them, and giving it to the jutsu's user. It was a useful move, one that could defeat Kurenai herself, if used under the right circumstances.

That being said…

The woman leapt up swiftly, grabbing onto a tree branch and flipping herself up and out of the technique's path.

"It's useless if your target is still able to move." She lectured, watching the girl fall like a heap unconscious.

"She'll probably be like that for another half hour." Kurenai sighed, glancing back at the other two charges.

Still fumbling around attempting to stand it seemed.

She sighed, shaking her head at the group she'd been given. Certainly, they each had their own unique skills; but as a team, they had much work to do.

_-Training Field-_

Ino's brow furrowed slightly, a soft moan erupting from her lips as she slowly opened her eyes.

"W-What happened…?" she muttered, the scene coming into view as her eyes adjusted to the light of the forest.

"Ah, Ino, you're awake!" Naruto shouted, kneeling down beside her, "You passed out after trying to use your Jutsu on Kurenai-sensei!"

"Wha-?" Ino frowned, grabbing her head slightly to alleviate the headache that was overtaking her. _"Ah… that's right. We were being tested by that woman and then…"_ she glanced back at her fellow blonde with a frown. "What's the matter with you?! Why'd you run in like that?! She was a Jounin you know!"

"Yeah," Naruto agreed, "But, even so… I needed to see just how good she was."

"What." Ino deadpanned.

"We already know she's good at Genjustu." The blonde explained, raising his hand to lecture the girl, "It was obvious she was some sort of specialist, but when she moved us… well, here, I thought it'd be a good idea to check and see if she was good in Taijutsu as well. Seeing as she took us all out like we were nothing, the answer seems pretty obvious."

"Indeed. I suppose her sudden attack on me did give you the perfect opportunity to find out." Shino decided, "But, perhaps in the future it would do well to explain your thoughts before rushing out into them alone."

"Yeah." Naruto smiled wryly.

Ino sighed. "So, what happened? Did we pass?"

"Hardly." Kurenai said as she walked into view, "You're awake then?"

"K-Kurenai-sensei-!" Ino began, only to be cut off as the woman raised her hand solemnly.

The red-eyed woman sighed. "Really now, what am I to do with you three? Taking on a Jounin head-on without a plan, really. Ordinarily I might just fail you and call it a day."

Ino and Naruto flushed their faces in despair, while Shino seemed to buzz in frustration.

"But, I suppose I did come at you rather suddenly… so I suppose I'll let it slide this once."

She said nothing about the fact that an enemy would have attacked rather suddenly as well.

To be perfectly honest, Kurenai would have had no qualms against failing the three of them. Certainly, she'd been granted the Aburame as she requested, but the other two members of her little team were hardly suited for tracking. She sighed, wondering just why the Hokage had made a last minute decision to change the teams around.

It didn't matter anymore, she supposed.

"Wait, sensei," Naruto spoke up, "so you mean you're not going to fail us?"

"Not just yet." Kurenai assured them, "As I said, I'll give you one more chance to prove your worthy of being Genin."

She slid her hand into her back pocket, pulling a small scroll from its depths and holding it up for the three to see.

"This will be your target. I will have it on my person for the duration of this exercise. You can use any means necessary to try and procure it from my grasp, be it tricks, traps," she glanced at Naruto, "or even a head-on assault. Like I said the first time, come at me with the intent to kill."

The three Genin steeled themselves, nodding at her solemnly as they eyed her dangerously.

Kurenai smiled, "Then, let the exercise begin!"

Before any of them had a chance to move, the woman disappeared in a whirl of leaves.

"You're not going to run in head-first again are you?" Ino asked cautiously, glaring at Naruto as he shook his head patiently.

"Of course not. I've already figured out what I wanted to." Naruto assured her, "There's no way we'll be able to take her out without some kind of plan. You can't use your Mind Transfer Jutsu unless Kurenai-sensei can't move right?"

Ino nodded, "Y-Yeah. If I miss, I'll be useless for the rest of the exercise…"

Naruto grinned, slamming his fists together eagerly, "Yosh, then we'll just have to keep her immobilized!"

"A fine idea," Shino agreed, adjusting his shades smoothly, "but easier said than done. Kurenai-sensei is a Jounin. She will not be caught off guard easily, and she is likely to have many techniques geared towards escaping an enemy. Even we have the Substitution technique in our skillset, do we not? That being said, if I could get some of my bugs on her, it will be rather simple to remove any chakra she has flowing through her system."

"Those Kikaichu right?" Naruto asked, "So they absorb other people's chakra…." The blonde grinned, "If that's the case, then this might be a bit easier than I thought! Listen you two, I have a plan…

_-Half an hour later…-_

"_They sure are taking their sweet time about this."_ Kurenai thought, _"Guess it's just about time I got moving then."_

"Alright! Come on out Kurenai-sensei! I'll take you out right now!" Naruto's voice rang out through the field.

The red-eyed Jounin frowned, glancing toward the sound to see the young blonde standing confidently in the center of a plain. She sighed.

"Are you an idiot?" she asked, appearing in front of him with a steady frown plastered across her face. "You don't really think you can take me on alone, do you?"

"Heh, only one way to find out," Naruto grinned, pointing at her excitedly, "but don't think this'll go like last time! I'm not gonna go down without a fight!"

"Oh really?" Kurenai mused, raising a brow curiously. _"I don't get it. Is this some kind of plan of his…? The other two don't seem to be nearby…."_

She turned her head to gaze at her other surroundings, and Naruto smiled.

"Where do you think you're looking, Kurenai-sensei?" he asked, taking advantage of her confusion to charge in, "Your opponent is me!"

He swung forward, thrusting his right leg out in an arc to try and catch the woman in the side. Kurenai frowned, moving out the way easily before moving back in to punch the boy in the ribcage. Naruto winced, glowering at the pain he felt as he stumbled back several feet, holding his gut in pain.

"_Augh! Even with my Steel Skin technique- So this is a Konoha Jounin… heh, I'll have my work cut out for me!"_

Steeling himself, he raised his stance again, only to flip back at the last moment and begin shifting through seals.

"Iron Style: Bullet Wind Jutsu!" he called out, releasing the ethereal wind of metal shards towards the woman.

Kurenai's eyes narrowed while she began running to the side, the metallic bolts slinging behind her as Naruto continued to aim.

"Not enough huh?" he muttered, shifting to another set, "Then how about this? Iron Style:" he pulled back, placing a hand at his lips to control his aim more efficiently. "Liquid Metal Jutsu!"

He exhaled, and from his lips an air-like substance erupted forth, transforming into a liquid-based metal that covered the field in gray on its path towards Kurenai.

The woman clenched her teeth, increasing her pace before leaping onto the base of a tree and flipping up out of its range.

"That's an interesting technique you have there." She noted, watching as Naruto's ability eventually died down and he set his hands on his knees to catch his breath. "But it looks like it costs you quite a bit of chakra. At the rate you're going, you'll exhaust yourself without my help."

"Nah…" Naruto breathed, taking a step back as he gazed up towards the woman, "I can still go on a lot longer!" he grinned, raising his stance once more.

"Oh really…?" she asked, frowning a bit further. "Then I suppose I'll just have to put you down myself."

She made two short seals and the world around Naruto began to warp.

"Demonic Illusion: Heaven Earth Reversal Technique." Kurenai quoted, closing her eyes as she faded from the world.

Naruto's eyes went wide, as he realized he was no longer right side up. The ground was above him, and beneath him was-

He fell.

A loud cry echoed out throughout the forest, and the two other Genin gave each other a firm nod. The signal had been given, it was time to move out.

Ino's eyes narrowed as they leapt through the forest toward their target, thinking back to the plan they had decided to come up with.

_-Earlier-_

"_Listen, Kurenai-sensei's already proven she's pretty strong. That's why… I'll be the one to take her head-on." Naruto decided._

"_What?! But we already know how that'll end!" Ino snapped, "You couldn't handle her when Shino jumped in to help you! How do you intend to take her on by yourself?! It's not like you'll win-!"_

"_Ah, but the intention is not to win, is it?" Shino asked._

_Naruto frowned, but gave the Aburame a solemn nod. "Yeah, there's no way I can go up against someone like her alone and win. All I can do is keep her attention away from you for a bit. Seeing as she's a Jounin, you won't be able to hide right at the battle site. She'd spot you guys immediately, and know something was up. So…"_

"_You want us to be stationed just out the way, but still close enough where we can arrive quickly." Shino mused, "I see."_

"_If everything goes according to plan, there will come a time when I'll be placed under a Genjutsu. Kurenai's attention will have to be completely focused on me to keep it up and running, and when that happens, I want you to hit her with all you've got!"_

"_You're going to let yourself get hit by a Genjutsu? Will you be alright?" Ino asked worriedly. "You do know about the "Kai" technique, right?"_

_Naruto smiled, "Of course I do. But, I won't be able to use it immediately. While I'm under this Genjutsu it's likely I'll have no idea what's really going on, so Ino, when Shino hits Kurenai with his arsenal, I'll need you to wake me up with an outside stimuli."_

"_L-Like what?" the girl frowned, "I'm sure if I get close to you I'll be able to disrupt the Genjutsu with my own chakra, but if it's in the midst of a battle… and I don't think my blunted kunai will be enough to alert you to anything."_

"_That's fine." Naruto nodded, holding up a sharpened kunai that gleamed amongst the tree leaves, "That's why I'm leaving you this. A kunai created with my own chakra. If you hit me with that, it might just be enough to temporarily disrupt Kurenai's technique, assuming it doesn't break when her attention is focused on Shino's attack. And when I'm awake…" his eyes turned steely, "I'll trap Kurenai so you can use your Mind Transfer Jutsu!"_

-_End-_

Ino's eyes narrowed as they landed just out the scene. "It's time. Are you ready for this, Shino?"

The Aburame nodded and adjusted his glasses, "Of course."

He raised his arms, a swarm of black insects flying from his sleeves and disappearing into the open area of the clearing. "I'll handle Kurenai-sensei, just don't miss when you aim to wake Uzumaki-san."

"Yeah, yeah…" Ino frowned, waving him off before turning to face her own target. She raised the kunai he'd given her earlier, and aimed to throw.

In the clearing, Kurenai sighed, lowering the handseal as she gazed at the unconscious teen. "So he fainted somehow… it seems his Genjutsu needs work as well. Now then, I suppose I should go and find the other two-" she paused, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the trees to her right.

What was it she had just seen-?

A sudden explosion of buzzing from behind her broke her thoughts, and she swiveled around just in time to stare down a swarm of Kikaichu that prepared to swoop down on her.

"_Bugs?!"_ she thought, leaping back into the open air away from the insects.

"_Now!"_ Ino thought, her eyes flashing in determination as she tossed the kunai forward with pinpoint accuracy. She couldn't afford to be the reason they messed up.

Naruto winced as the kunai dug into the upper part of his leg, alerting him that it was time. His eyes opened, having been woken from the Genjutsu dream just in time as a result of both Shino and Ino's work. His eyes narrowed as Kurenai glided through the air, directly above the large pool of iron he created earlier.

It was time.

His hand slapped down into the pool as he formed the Ram Seal, and locked his eyes on his target.

"Iron Style: Iron Chain Jutsu!" he announced, sparks flying from the pool as its shape shifted, wrapping into numerous chains and links that lashed out towards Kurenai with one goal:

Trapping her.

The woman grimaced in frustration as she heard the voice, glancing downward to see the many chains and Naruto's determined gaze upon her.

"_He woke up?!"_ she thought furiously, _"Was this all part of his plan then?! In that case- I'll just use Substitution-!"_

The Genin seemed to have read her mind, as all three of their eyes narrowed further.

"Now, Shino!" Naruto roared.

The Aburame nodded, and their last bet went into action.

From the many chains that neared Kurenai's position, thousands of Kikaichu leapt forth, clapping down on the Jounin's skin and draining her as quickly as possible. The woman couldn't believe it had happened so quickly.

"No! My Chakra-!" she shouted, her body falling limp before she could pull off the replacement technique. "I won't be able to dodge-!"

The chains caught her.

They wrapped around her ferociously, binding her in place and leaving her helpless against any goal the three Genin had.

Naruto smiled lightly, climbing back to his feet elegantly as he clapped the nearby Ino on the shoulder. "Go ahead, finish it."

"With pleasure." The girl nodded, and she turned the bird seal toward the Jounin.

There was no escape.

"Shintenshin no Jutsu!"

_-Later-_

"And so they got the scroll then?" Hiruzen asked, glancing in amusement at the thoroughly embarrassed and flushed Kurenai.

"H-Hai… Hokage-sama." The woman affirmed, her eyes closed as she glanced at the floor tile beneath her.

The Third laughed again, taking another smooth puff of his pipe and allowing the smoke to drift through one of the many open windows.

"Then… I suppose this means you don't have any qualms about your new team?"

Kurenai sighed, setting a hand on her hip. "They could still use a lot of work. They're reckless, headstrong, and a little abusive… but no." she looked up, giving a soft smile to her superior before handing him the Team Paperwork.

"Team Ten… Passes."

* * *

**-Chapter 3, END-**


End file.
